Stefanos Tsitsipas says Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz undoubtedly play at "a very high level," but believes they cannot be declared better than Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer until they emulate their accomplishments.
Since 2024, only two players have been winning Grand Slams in men's tennis. The 23-year-old Italian, who has been ranked at No. 1 since mid-2024, has four in his collection and all have come over the past 20 months. On the other side, the 22-year-old Spanish tennis star already has five Majors in his trophy cabinet.
The way Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated the men's game for the past 20 months resembles the times when the Big Three were untouchable. Naturally, it led to comparisons between the two young stars and the three tennis icons.
Tsitsipas, who arrived on the Tour when the Big Three were still dominating tennis and lost two Grand Slam finals to Djokovic, suggests Sinner and Alcaraz can only be compared to the Big Three when they reach at least the 20-Major win mark.
Tsitsipas: Until Sinner and Alcaraz win as many tournaments as the Big Three, we cannot say thay are better
“I don’t think we can say Sinner and Alcaraz are better than Federer, Nadal and Djokovic until they win as many tournaments and that will take a long time. What we can say is that the level from Jannik and Carlos is very high," the Greek told Tennis365.
After revealing his thoughts on the matter, Tsitsipas also stated that it was normal that new big stars would come and opinioned it would keep happening. Then, he concluded by higlighting that it would be extremely hard for anyone to beat the records set by the Big Three.
“What we can also say is Roger, Rafa and Novak raised the standards and the number of titles they won will be hard to beat," Tsitsipas noted.
Djokovic is still active and he has 24 Grand Slams, while Nadal finished with 22 and Federer concluded his career with 20.
There were huge expectations on Holger Rune in this edition of the Toronto Masters 1000, where the young Danish ace could benefit from the absence of several top players such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper. The former world number 4 had started his run well in Canada and seemed to be able to go far in this tournament, but was eliminated by Alexei Popyrin in the round of 16.
The winner of the 2022 Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 lost to a very dangerous player on this surface, who is capable of shining at the 'Canadian Open' considering that he lifted the trophy in Montreal a year ago, but Rune showed all his weaknesses once again.
The former Top 5 player had the chance to practice alongside a legend like Andre Agassi before the start of the North American tournaments, but ruled out that the American will follow him around the world as he already has a very busy schedule.
Rune lost again
The feeling is that Holger needs new stimuli at this stage of his career, which has entered a stagnant phase and there do not seem to be effective solutions for the moment. With the exception of excellent performances in Indian Wells (where he reached the final) and Barcelona (where he lifted the trophy), Rune's 2025 has not been satisfactory so far and his results in Grand Slam tournaments have been far below expectations.
During his latest press conference in Toronto, the Danish star confided that he was quite disappointed: "I didn't play my best tennis and it was a disappointing performance, there's not much more to add. I didn't express the level I wanted, I struggled with my serve and I didn't feel comfortable on court. I have to adopt better strategies during matches and select my shots in a better way. When I can make this improvement, then my results will improve."
Rune's next tournament will be the Cincinnati Masters 1000, scheduled for August 7-18.
The rise of Jannik Sinner has contributed to the greatest extent to the success of Italian tennis, which has entered a new dimension after so many years of anonymity. The current world number 1 has recently become the first Italian player ever to triumph at Wimbledon, a truly exceptional achievement that represents the result of a long journey made by him and his team.
The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria is undoubtedly the best player in the world together with Carlos Alcaraz, with whom he is creating an electrifying rivalry, and he is never satisfied by always looking for new ways to improve his game. The four-time Grand Slam champion can win one of the best tennis players of all time if he continues to work in this way and his focus is already directed towards the US Open scheduled in New York at the end of the summer.
Binaghi pays tribute to Sinner
After choosing to skip the Toronto Masters 1000, Jannik is set to return to action in Cincinnati, a tournament where he won last year despite all the stress associated with his doping case. Sinner's goal is to refine his shape in view of the US Open, the last Major of the season, in which he will have to defend his title.
In an interview with 'Sky Sport Italy' during an event, FITP president Angelo Binaghi paid tribute to the current world number 1: "In addition to being an extraordinary champion that the whole world envies us, Jannik transmits a positive example and improves the image of Italy abroad. He is a boy of humble origins from a family of sound principles, which taught him the right values. When he gets a huge win, his first thought is back to work to improve even more. He has become the driving force behind an entire generation of young talent."
The Italian star also wants to shine in the second half of the season, in which there are tournaments that are very suitable for his game. It is no coincidence that Jannik had been dominant in the last months of the year in both 2023 and 2024.
By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, August 2, 2025 Photo credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty
In a clash of friendly fire, Alex Michelsen played clean first-strike tennis to take good friend Learner Tien down.
Michelsen broke Tien in his opening service game of both sets sparking a 6-3, 6-3 sweep in a match of talented Californians in Toronto today.
The 20-year-old Michelsen, who toppled 10th-ranked Lorenzo Musetti in the prior round, advance to his 15th career quarterfinal and first Masters 1000 quarterfinal.
It’s a milsetone moment for Michelsen, who led start to finish. Michelsen is the youngest American ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinalist since a 20-year-old Sebastian Korda made the last eight at 2021 Miami. He’s the youngest U.S. man to reach the National Bank Open quarterfinals since a 20-year-old Andy Roddick took the title 22 years ago.
Aggressive baseline play from Michelsen combined with some uncharacteristically sloppy shotmaking from Tien was the difference today. Michelsen converted four of 10 break points in an 80 minute victory for his sixth quarterfinal of the 2025 season.
The 34th-ranked Michelsen will face Karen Khachanov for a spot in the final four.
Khachanov cracked 29 winners in a 6-4, 7-5 victory over former US Open finalist Casper Ruud.
The 11th-seeded Khachanov broke three times in a 93-minute victory.
Khachanov beat Ruud for the first time in three meetings and snapped an 11-match losing streak vs. Top 20 opponents. It was Khachanov’s first win over a Top 20 opponent since he beat Grigor Dimitrov at the Paris Indoors last October.
The hard-hitting Khachanov has dropped just one set in three tournament victories.
Michelsen won his lone prior meeting vs. Khachanov with an impressive 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-2 sweep at the Australian Open last January.
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."
Novak Djokovic competed in his first Major semi-final at the 2007 Roland Garros. Eighteen years later, the Serb is still capable of entering the latter stages on the most notable tennis scene.
Novak has reached the last four at all three Majors in 2025, standing strong at 38 and writing age records. The 24-time Major champion is one of two players with three Major semi-finals this season.
The other? World no. 1, Jannik Sinner! However, the legend has stumbled at this stage each time, suffering losses to Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner and marking his worst streak in the Major semi-finals since 2010!
Novak Djokovic wins a 41 shot rally against Zverev at Roland Garros
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 4, 2025
Novak did not perform at his best in his first eight Major semi-finals until Wimbledon 2010, having won only two matches and dropping four straight semi-finals between 2008 and 2010.
Djokovic raised his level and embraced a thrilling 32-5 streak between the 2010 US Open and the 2023 US Open. Between Wimbledon 2013 and the US Open 2023, the Serb dropped only two Major semi-finals, entering numerous finals and chasing the ultimate records.
Novak has not been able to follow that run since the beginning of 2024, entering five Major semi-finals and scoring only one win at Wimbledon last year. The veteran defeated Carlos Alcaraz at this year's Australian Open.
He became the third-oldest semi-finalist in Melbourne after Ken Rosewall and Roger Federer. However, he experienced a muscle tear and retired in the semi-final after dropping the tie break of the opening set against Alexander Zverev.
Djokovic recovered and embraced another deep run at Roland Garros. He served revenge to Zverev in the quarter-final, becoming the oldest semi-finalist in Paris since Pancho Gonzales in 1968!
Novak fought well against Jannik Sinner, challenging the world's best player for over three hours before losing 6-4, 7-5, 7-6. The Serb used that momentum and secured another semi-final at Wimbledon, his 14th at the All England Club!
Djokovic experienced another setback in the quarter-final, falling on a match point against Flavio Cobolli and injuring his left hip area. The veteran tried to recover and challenge Jannik SInner, but his body could not endure the effort.
The Italian earned a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory, providing the Serb's third straight loss in the Major semi-finals. Novak struggled with his movement and trailed in sets one and two.
He raised his level in the third and built a 3-0 advantage and a break chance in game four. Jannik saved it and turned the tables, taking six of the final seven games to emerge at the top and beat the legend for the fifth straight time.
In an era where each deep run at Majors demands peak physical and mental effort, Djokovic's presence in all three semi-finals speaks volumes about his enduring greatness and legacy.
However, this year's string of defeats highlights an inevitable shift. The margins are smaller, the rivals younger and the physical toll heavier. Against all odds, Novak continues to challenge the world's best players at Majors.
Despite the frustration, there's a powerful silver lining. Djokovic continues to prove his unmatched consistency on the sport's biggest stages. The best thing? His hunger and desire have not faded despite accomplishing every task our sport has to offer.
Former world No. 11 Anastasija Sevastova admitted she "did not even think" about beating Jessica Pegula after falling behind early, before also hinting at retiring in the next couple of weeks.
In case you missed it, Sevastova – who is ranked at No. 386 in the world and entered Montreal using a protected ranking – pulled off a stunning comeback and upset on Monday when she took out defending champion Pegula 3-6 6-4 6-1. The start of the match went as expected as the third-seeded American was firmly 6-3 2-0 up. But then out of nowhere, the Latvian former world No. 11 won 12 of the next 14 games and progressed into the Montreal round-of-16.
“It’s a bit surreal. I didn’t think about winning all the match. I was just so — I’d like to stay as long as possible on court. In the third set, I think I really played great tennis. I didn’t do any mistakes, and I just put her in bad positions so she has to do a lot of things she doesn’t like. And yeah, at the end, somehow I won," Sevastova reflected.
Sevastova hints at retiring after the US Open
In early 2024, the Latvian four-time WTA champion tore her ACL. After not playing for 13 months, the 35-year-old kicked off her post-surgery comeback in April.
Prior to coming in Montreal, Sevastova had been 5-7 in 2025. And while she is in the midst of a great run at the Canadian Open, she may not play beyond the US Open.
“It’s a bit different now because I come with zero expectations. I mean, I don’t have any good ranking and I’m not going to play every week. I don’t know if I’m going to play after US Open. Depends, maybe I’ll play if I still have fun, maybe not," the 35-year-old admitted.
Meanwhile, Sevastova plays against Naomi Osaka in her next Montreal match.
It’s just about time for Jessica Pegula to return to the scene of her first major final. The World No.4 would like to head to the 2025 US Open with a little wind beneath her wings, but at the moment she can’t seem to get her feet off the ground.
The Buffalo native produced another head-scratching effort against 386-ranked Anastasija Sevastova on Friday in Montreal, dropping 12 of the final 15 games to make it just one win in four matches since the start of Wimbledon.
“It hasn’t been great, to be honest. I don’t really feel like I’m playing great tennis.”
— Jessica Pegula
Pegula was the two-time defending champion in Canada this week, but could not summon the confidence that took her to titles in Montreal in 2023 and Toronto last year.
For Pegula, who played and lost the final to Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open last year, it simply isn’t good enough.
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“It hasn’t been great, to be honest,” the 31-year-old said on Friday in Montreal. “I don’t really feel like I’m playing great tennis. At times I am, but I feel very up and down, kind of sloppy, which I don’t like. It really bothers me. I’m kind of a perfectionist, so I don’t like having to say that.
“I feel like I’ve gone through phases in my career, a few tournaments, where I feel like that sometimes, and you have to figure out how to get out of it and not feel sorry for yourself or make excuses. I’ve got figure it out.”
Pegula still has time to right the ship. She’ll head to the Cincinnati Open next week, hoping to build momentum ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year.
She believes she needs to be a better problem solver, starting now.
“You have to do it in those moments in matches where you’re in that moment where you have to compete and figure things out,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve been able to do it great the last couple of matches, so hopefully going into Cincy I think that’s definitely going to be my main focus every single match is focusing on those big points and those big games because I do think I am playing some good tennis to get up in these matches, and there’s times where I’m reeling off six, seven really good games, and then it kind of falls away.
“So I’ve got to figure out how to kind of sustain that higher level against these good players.”
By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, August 1, 2025 Photo credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty
The rematch was a mismatch.
Crackling highly charged drives, Amanda Anisimova jolted Emma Raducanu backward like a woman stricken by surges of static electricity.
In a brilliant performance of power tennis, Anisimova routed Raducanu 6-1, 6-2 in a 64-minute thrashing to roll into the Montreal round of 16.
It was Anisimova’s first win over Raducanu in three meetings as she avenged a 6-1, 6-3 loss to the talented Briton in front of home fans in Miami in March.
In that match, Anisimova was bothered by a left wrist issue.
Tonight, Anisimova strong-armed Raducanu with disarming drives from the first point.
The Wimbledon finalist whipped deep strikes persistently pushing Raducanu corner to corner. Anisimova broke twice in a row charging out to a 4-1 lead.
Holding for the first time 28 minutes into the match, Raducanu made a push going up love-30 in the Americanâs ensuing service game. Anisimova shoved her right back into place, blistering a backhand winner down the line that lashing an ace down the T as part of a four-point run to hold for 5-2.
Even when Raducanu hit her spot on serve, Anisimova was unleashing whiplash returns near the lines. A biting backhand return down the line gave the American a second set point.
Anisimova turned her hips and shoulders into a jarring return sealing a one-set lead with her third break of the set. Anisimova hit 12 winnersânine more than Raducanuâand played much of the 40-minute opener off her front foot.
That opening set was just a prelude to the powerful combinations Anisimova administered in the secodn set.
The fifth-seeded Anisimova won eight straight points to ignite a second-set surge that saw her snatch a 5-0 lead.
It wasn’t that Raducanu even played poorly, an oppressive Anisimova barely gave the Briton an opportunity to play at all. Raducanu held at 30 to deny a second-set bagel.
On a day when defending champion Jessica Pegula was upset by former US Open semifinalist Anastasija Sevastova, the 2024 finalist Anisimova was in cruise control.
Anisimova served out a commanding 64-minute conquest at love firing one final forehand winner crosscourt. The pair embraced at net afterward with both women sharing a smile over Anisimova’s brilliance.
Doha champion Anisimova will face Elina Svitolina for a quarterfinal spot.
The 10th-seeded Svitolina swept Washington, DC finalist Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-1 breaking five times in a 55-minute dissection.
This June, Carlos Alcaraz claimed his fifth Major title at Roland Garros. The 22-year-old scored a memorable 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 victory over world no. 1 Jannik Sinner after a massive turnaround and three match points saved.
Carlos revisited one of his career-high victories in a clash that will be remembered for its breathtaking twists and turns. The Spaniard dropped the opening two sets and faced three match points in the ninth game of the fourth set.
Facing the exit door, Alcaraz relied on unwavering belief and mental fortitude that brought him tennis glory. The young gun focused on winning one point at a time while steadily climbing back.
Carlos knew that closing out a Major final can weigh heavily on any player, even someone composed and monolith one as Jannik. For the El Palmar native, it was crucial not to show any cracks despite the obvious struggle.
The 22-year-old raised above the challenge and projected total self-confidence, understanding that even the slightest hint of weakness could end his title dreams against a formidable opponent.
His refusal to panic slowly turned the tide, propelling him to one of the most remarkable comebacks in Major finals. The victory cemented Carlos' status as one of tennis' fiercest competitors.
It also proved his incredible mental strength, the one that matches his physical prowess.
"I simply thought about coming back little by little: one point at a time, especially on those three match points. Closing a Major title is never easy, and I knew I would have my chances.
I knew things would not be easy for Jannik. That's how I remained calm and focused. It was also a bit of the image of self-confidence I wanted to share.
I did not doubt that I could come back for a second, and I tried to show that to my rival. As soon as you show weakness, there's no chance of coming back – you are lost," Carlos Alcaraz said.
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.
Carlos Alcaraz is the five-time Major champion at 22. The El Palmar's early success has drawn inevitable comparisons to his great compatriot and idol, Rafael Nadal.
Yet, the young gun is determined to forge his own identity, following that path since his arrival on the Tour. Frequently hailed as Nadal's heir, Alcaraz is grateful for the admiration but refuses to embrace that narrative.
Carlos does not want to see himself as Rafa's successor. He reflected on the great rivalries and great players we had in the past. However, he does not feel obligated to use the same path and mirror what they did.
Carlos after he won his doubles match with Rafa Nadal at the Olympics:
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 28, 2024
While respectful of the legacy forged by Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Carlos emphasized the importance of self-belief and individuality.
The young gun is defending his ideas and philosophy, using it as a defensive mechanism against pressure. As he adds more trophies to his growing collection, Alcaraz remains focused on building a legacy that is entirely his own.
The Spaniard has been the player to beat since April. The 22-year-old has embraced six consecutive finals, conquering Monte Carlo, Rome, Roland Garros and Queen's while falling in the Wimbledon final to Jannik Sinner.
The El Palmar native took a couple of weeks off the court after losing his first Major final in London. He withdrew from Toronto and hit the practice court ahead of his next stop.
It's next week's Cincinnati Masters, his final preparation for the US Open. Carlos' goals? Another Major trophy in New York and the ATP throne taken from Jannik Sinner!
"I do not want to be seen as Rafa's successor. Tennis has always had great rivalries and great players. It's a privilege that people watch our matches in this way, with such enthusiasm.
In the end, we have no obligation to do what they did, far from it. If you do not defend your ideals and aspirations, that pressure can consume you. You have to know how to differentiate.
We try not to think about the pressure and, above all, to do as they did," Carlos Alcaraz said.
Jessica Pegula admits she feels her tennis has been "sloppy" lately and isn't hiding that she is "bothered" by her results.
In late June, the American tennis star captured her third title of the year after beating Iga Swiatek in the Bad Homburg final. Since then, the world No. 4 has stunningly gone 1-3.
After picking up shock first-round losses at Wimbledon (Elisabetta Cocciaretto) and Washington (Leylah Fernandez), Pegula snapped her mini losing streak at the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal by beating Maria Sakkari after a first-round bye. In the Montreal third round, the American was 6-3 2-0 up against Anastasija Sevastova. But then, she inexplicably shut down and world No. 386 Sevastova stormed back to win 3-6 6-3 6-1.
Pegula: My tennis has been kind of sloppy… I don't like it and it bothers me
“It hasn’t been great, to be honest. I don’t really feel like I’m playing great tennis. At times I am, but I feel very up and down, kind of sloppy, which I don’t like. It really bothers me. You have to figure out how to get out of it and not feel sorry for yourself or make excuses. I’ve got figure it out. I feel like I felt pretty confident knowing I like playing here. I’ve always had good results here. … Did I win DC coming into here? No, but at the same time I’ve won tournaments and lost first round. Nothing in tennis makes sense sometimes," the world No. 4 said.
While Pegula is set to lose a good chunk of points by not defending her Montreal title, she will still stay at No. 4 after the tournament. However, that's not the end of troubles for the 31-year-old since she still has a good chunk of points to defend in the rest of the North American hard-court swing – she reached the finals of the US Open and Cincinnati last year.
Unless Pegula quickly figures out something, her North American hard-court swing could turn into a complete disaster.
By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, August 1, 2025 Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport
Nick Kyrgios’ next career could see him pushing buttons.
In an interview at the Esports World Cup 2025, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this week, Kyrgios confessed his first sports love was not tennis.
Instead, he favored gaming and basketball.
“My passion was basketball and gaming,â said Kyrgios, sporting a black Call of Duty t-shirt during his interview. âTo be thrown into a sport where tennis is very clean cut. You know, Iâm very rough around the edges and I didnât really fit the mold for a tennis player. And I really struggled with that early in my career.â
The devoted Boston Celtics fans said he’s spent hours playing Fortnite and Call of Duty. Kyrgios said his gaming compulsion often came at the expense of tennis training and tournament play on the ATP Tour.
The former Australian Open doubles champion said he’s dream of being a professional gamer.
“I would love to be [an esports] player,” Kyrgios said. “Iâve been criticized in my career for not putting enough time on the court. And Iâve missed tournaments and training because Iâve just been gaming purely because I love it and I donât care.
“The thing about it is like esports continue to grow. You know, itâs always going to evolve, technologyâs going to get better, a new gameâs going to come out.”
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist shared he dropped “F-Bombs” in front of the Royal Box during his four-set loss to Novak Djokovic, but vowed he’s not going to change his style to fit traditional tennis norms.
âAnd now it seems Iâm a bit more embraced. And Iâm glad Iâm able to put on a show,” Kyrgios said. “You know, when I played in front of the Royal Box at Wimbledon, I was throwing F-BombsâŚ
“But look, itâs been a struggle to kind of fit in. But you know now I kind of embrace it. Iâm not going to change for anyone and it took me all the way here, so it paid off.”
By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, August 1, 2025 Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport
Novak Djokovic is kicking in a new investment.
The Grand Slam king has invested in the Le Mans football (soccer) team, Le Mans FC announced today.
Former world No. 1 Djokovic joins Georgios Frangulis, the Brazilian businessman owner of Oakberry best known to tennis fans as Aryna Sabalenka’s boyfriend, former Formula 1 drivers Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen and South American sports investment firm OutField as new investors in Le Mans FC.
“Novak Djokovic, tennis legend and the most successful player in history, whose mental strength and unique approach will add considerable value,” Thierry Gomez, Le Mans FC owner and president said in a statement.
“We have to be aware that the economic model of football has changed, with a tightening of the elite and the arrival of new investors,” Le Mans FC owner Gomez said. “To exist in this new context and hope to continue to grow, we have no choice but to adapt, because our ambition remains the same: to fill the stadium and share beautiful emotions together, like in our last match against Versailles.
“That’s why I’m pleased today to announce the arrival of our new financial partner: OutField, the leader in sports investment in Latin America, and Georgios Frangulis, founder and CEO of OakBerry. They have the particularity of being a Brazilian investment fund. You know my love for the game… and who better than the Brazilian team symbolizes, in the world of football, the beautiful game?
“The particularity of this fund also lies in its contribution to high-level athletes. Thus, Novak Djokovic, Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen will be part of the adventure.”
Djokovic, who comes from a family of champion skiers, is also a skilled soccer and basketball player. He’s shared his soccer skills both in pick-up games with fellow pros on the Indian Wells grass and in charity football matches.
The 38-year-old Serbian superstar is also good friends with WTA world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis. During Wimbledon, Sabalenka shared Djokovic has given her advice on coping with the pressures of world No. 1.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion jokingly jabbed Sabalenka in an Instagram post yesterday as he reposted images from his GQ phot shoot captioned “this is how you strike a pose Aryna Sabalenka.”
Like many times before, Novak Djokovic is expanding his portfolio beyond tennis. The 24-time Major winner became an investor in French Ligue 2 football club Le Mans FC.
The club earned the promotion back to the second division. On Friday, they shared huge news with their fans, announcing Novak as part of a high-profile group led by Brazilian investment firm OutField and former Formula 1 drivers, Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen.
Le Mans was founded in 1985. This year, they are celebrating their 40th anniversary with the arrival of athletes of Djokovic's stature as a strategic asset and a long-term plan.
Djokovic's renowned mental strength and unique mindset should bring value on and off the court. Meanwhile, Massa and Magnussen will bridge football and motorsport, as the little French town stages the most acknowledged endurance race every June.
Racing heritage is already there, and football should join in the upcoming years if everything develops as planned. Novak continues to pursue tennis history at 38, still feeling the old desire to chase notable titles.
However, his latest move marks a new venture into football ownership. Le Mans FC kicks off its Ligue 2 season on August 9, and the investment underscores a broader trend of elite athletes diversifying their impact beyond their primary careers.
Novak is a massive football fan. He enjoys watching matches whenever he can, in Belgrade or worldwide. We have also seen him in various charity matches with his colleagues and other athletes.
Now, the time has come to take that admiration to another level and open the new realm of football ownership. Novak should watch the start of Ligue 2 from Cincinnati if he enters the seventh Masters 1000 of the season.
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.
The commentators during this Coco Gauff and Kudermetova match:
“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” đđđ
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 31, 2025
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.
By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, July 31, 2025 Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
The Montreal service line loomed like a fault line and Coco Gauff was blowing herself up.
The top-seeded Gauff coughed up 14 double faults but turned an early implosion into an inspirational ending playing her most dynamic tennis in the final set.
Gauff shook off a seven game spiral, surging back to score a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory over Veronika Kudermetova to battle into the Montreal round of 16 today.
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Down a set and a break, Roland Garros champion Gauff successfully fought off her own sloppy serving and shotmaker Kudermetova and will face either Canadian wild card Victoria Mboko or Czech Marie Bouzkova for a quarterfinal spot.
âI mean the goal is to survive and advanceâwe all know itâs not my best but itâs good enough for today,â Gauff said. âMentally, Iâm very proud of myself. Thereâs obviously parts of my game Iâm working on, one of them being the serveâŚI look forward to the future when Iâm feeling my best hopeful itâs a little bit easier.â
Through two rounds, Gauff has clanked an unsightly 37 double faults yet sheâs reinforced her reputation for resilience raising her 2025 three-set record to 9-1 today.
The two-time Grand Slam champion has the ability to compartmentalize serve struggles, shirk stretches of shoddy play and fight furiously with the match on the line. The question is: Can Gauff pick up her serving as she progresses, and the competition intensifies? The good news, Gauff said, is she’s finding ways to win with her service game “on a crutch.”
“I mean, there’s positives and there’s negatives,” Gauff told the media in Montreal. “Obviously I am so disappointed in myself when it comes to that part of the game just because I didn’t play D.C. to work on that and made changes to that and doing well in practice and serving really well in practice. Yeah, so I just would like for it to transfer to the match.
“It does give positives that, okay, I’m winning these matches having literally like one part of my game on a crutch. So it’s like if I can stand on both feet, then I can only imagine that it would be a lot more straightforward and a lot more easier for me.”
Gauff committed 23 double faultsânearly a full set of doublesâin her opener vs. Danielle Collins yet still squeezed out a 7-5, 4-6 7-6(2) victory relying on her grit and legs to get it done in two hours, 56 minutes.
The normally feisty Collinsâ continuously dropping her Tecnifibre racquet to the court in a show of physical frustration that certainly didnât help her cause. Gauff kept calm despite the deluge of double faults and dug out a third-set tiebreaker, improving to 11-2 lifetime in third-set tiebreakers.
Today, the world No. 2 jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Soon the double fault ghosts haunted Gauff again. Part of the problem today is Gauff sometimes chased her ball toss and was hitting a hybrid kick-slice serve in the opening set: She wasnât getting the pronation to bring the kick back down in the court but wasnât slicing the serve severely enough to control it either.
Three double faults in the ninth game saw Gauff gift the break and a 5-4 lead to Kudermetova. If youâre Gauffâor her coachesâyou might just want to hit some hard slice serves right into the body in those moments to sustain the racquet acceleration while getting enough net clearance to bring the ball down into the box.
Kudermetova cracked the wide serve on the deuce side to create space. When Kudermetova cranked an inside-out forehand winner she snatched the opening set exploiting seven double faults from Gauff.
From 1-4 down, Kudermetova tore through seven straight games building a 6-4, 2-0 lead.
Empowered by her run to the Wimbledon doubles championship earlier this month, Kudermetova held a break point to go up 4-1, but Gauff denied it. Gauff spun a forehand down the line followed by a backhand strike down the opposite sideline to hold for 2-3.
Striking her forehand with more conviction, Gauff drilled a diagonal forehand winner to break back and level six games into the second set.
Many players resort to the slice forehand when pushed wide on the stretch to extend the point. At times today, Gauff opted to hit slice forehands on balls right down the middle when she had time to set up and hit her traditional topspin forehand. You wonder why she doesnât take the short preparation steps, create space between her body and the ball and rip some of those forehands just to get her groove going on that wing.
Deadlocked at 5-all, the second set turned on a series of close calls. Gauff badly botched a forehand sitter from nearly right on top of the net choosing to slice her forehand rather than hit it to face a break point.
Surprising the Russian with the drop shot, Gauff got away with it when Kudermetova caught up to the ball but shoveled her forehand out. Given new life, Gauff hammered a wide ace then jolted her opponent backward with a body serve digging through a tough hold for 6-5.
Knowing Gauffâs backhand is her more stable wing, Kudermetova inexplicably played the Americanâs backhand wing and paid the price as Gauff gained double set point in the 12th game. Kudermetova saved the first set point, but again challenged the Gauff backhand and netted a high backhand volley.
Playing from behind for most of the set, a gritty Gauff broke to force a final set after one hour, 56 minutes.
You can question Gauffâs serve and her sometime flaky forehand, but she is unquestionably one of the toughest competitors on the WTA Tour. After scraping into a third set, Gauff elevated soaring through eight straight points to open the final set. Gauff slashed a forehand crosscourt winner extending to 3-0. Kudermetova, who was sometimes barking at her husband and coach Sergey Demekhine by then, rapidly ran out of answers.
Reading the Russianâs wide serve on the deuce side, Gauff hit some of her finest forehand returns in that final set. A match that saw Gauff dump 14 double faults ended with Kudermetova hitting her first double fault.
Watching Gauff through the first two rounds of Montreal is a bit like watching a sprinter stack her own lane with hurdles right before the race yet still manage to overcome all obstacles and cross the finish line first.
“My energy level is there. I’m not quite at the point where these matches tire me out physically,” Gauff said of winning successive three-setters. “Yeah, I was training in Florida for three weeks having, like, three-, three-and-a-half-hour practices, plus fitness in 90-degree weather with humidity. So it doesn’t feel as long as it is said, but I would love to get these matches under the two-hour mark, but if that’s what it takes, I’m here to be out here.”
Earlier, Marta Kostyuk rose from a dramatic fall out-dueling Daria Kasatkina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) in a match highlighted by one of the craziest points of the tournament.
Two points into the tiebreaker, Kostyuk slipped and fell behind the baseline, dropped her racquet, picked it up extended the point with a forehand and eventually won the point after climbing off the court.
Kostyuk converted seven of 11 break points and exploited 11 double faults from Kasatkina for her second straight three-set win.
The 24th-seeded Ukranian will face next American McCartney Kessler.
The 28th-seeded Kessler conquered fourth-seeded Mirra Andreeva 7-6(5), 6-4.
Dan Evans had no sympathy at all for Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and his issues at the Toronto Masters, ripping his complaints about an early match schedule as "pathetic."
While Thursday action was ongoing in Toronto, the tournament organizers released their schedule for the next day.
And Davidovich Fokina, who is seeded at No. 20 and slated to play Jakub Mensik in the third round, wasn't happy a bit after seeing that his clash was scheduled for 11 AM local time – which is the earliest possible match schedule. The 26-year-old Spaniard took to social media to blast the ATP authorities.
“Today I want to share my disappointment and frustration with the ATP. Tomorrow, every match starts at 12:30, except ours, which has been scheduled at 11:00. We’re staying one hour away from the club, which means we have to wake up extremely early to arrive in good condition. The ATP always promises they’ll fix things, but nothing ever changes. This isn’t the first time it happens, and when you’re inside, you realize that it is not as great as it looks from the outside," Davidovich Fokina wrote in the message.
Evans on Davidovich Fokina complaining about getting up very early: Pathetic
Evans, who is nine years older than Davidovich Fokina, literally had zero sympathy for the Spanish tennis player. Reacting to it through his Instagram account, the 35-year-old Briton pretty much told the 26-year-old he is in a privileged position and still complains.
“Wake up and play. The world wakes up and works 9-5, even 8-6. Pathetic," Evans wrote.
This is not the first time that Evans has blasted players' complaints about the tennis schedule and calendar. In one of his interviews conducted earlier this summer, the two-time ATP champion suggested that some of his colleagues are hypocrites because they want to earn as much as possible but still complain about playing a lot.
Meanwhile, Evans played at the Lexington Challenger this week, where he lost to Michael Zheng in the round-of-16. The 35-year-old has already appeared in 21 tournaments this year.
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.
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 Swiatekâs Grand Slam titles during their three-year partnership, and logged 19 of Swiatekâs 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 â¨
— Omnium Banque Nationale (@OBNmontreal) July 28, 2025
Osaka announced her split from Patrick Mouratoglou, who coached her for nearly 11 months, over the weekend.
âMerci Patrick. It was such a great experience learning from you,â Osaka posted on Instagram. âWishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people Iâve ever met and Iâm sure Iâll see you around.â
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.”
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.
