Archive of posts tagged the French Open

Patrick Mouratoglou tells very interesting story from Serena Williams' 2013 RG win

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2013 French Open

Patrick Mouratoglou decided to tell a little story about the time when one of Serena Williams' comments made him realize the best with what type of champion mindset the American had. 

In 2002, Williams lifted her maiden French Open title. Although she had been one of the most dominant players in the next decade, the American's next triumph at Roland Garros didn't come until 2013, when she defeated Maria Sharapova in the final. At the time, she was working with Mouratoglou and it was her 16th Grand Slam title.

After Williams triumphed at the French Open for the first time in 11 years, her team was ready to celebrate heavily. And while the American tennis star dressed and was ready to hit the club, she changed her mind at the last moment and just told Mouratoglou that she wanted to get back and already start preparing for Wimbledon.

Mouratoglou: Williams never celebrated her 2013 French Open win, she was already thinking about Wimbledon

"In the evening, everybody wanted to go dancing, and when we arrived in front of the night club, she looked at me and she said, 'Let's go back home,' she never celebrated. She was already thinking about Wimbledon," the French coach recalled in a video uploaded on his Instagram.

"There is a trophy ceremony, and when she gets out of the court, she comes to me and she says, 'OK, let's do the cool down.' So we go in the fitness room, and after five minutes, she looks at me and she says, 'Now we have to win Wimbledon.' This is the mindset of the champion. As soon as they achieve something, they immediately think about a new goal, another one."

 

 

 

 

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While Williams was determined and locked in on making it all the way at 2013 Wimbledon, it didn't happen for her that year after she was upset by Sabine Lisicki in the round-of-16.

However, Williams and Mouratoglou went on to enjoy much more success since their partnership brought seven more Grand Slams before the American retired.

Montreal: Elena Rybakina survives slugfest vs No. 30 seed, reaches quarterfinal

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Berlin

Elena Rybakina struggled and complicated once again but today she managed to come out on top in a tight one and beat Dayana Yastremska 5-7 6-2 7-5 in just over two and a half hours of play for a place in the Montreal quarterfinal.

In the first set, the ninth-seeded Kazakh was up by a break and led 4-3 before collapsing and losing the opener. After dropping the first set in a painful way, the 2022 Wimbledon champion was more convincing in the second set as she bounced back with two breaks to force a decider.

After no breaks were seen in the first four games of the third set, Rybakina got one in the fifth game to go 3-2 up. In the following game, the No. 9 seed had two consecutive game points but blew them as Yastremska got the break back and tied the decider to three games apiece.

Later in the set, Rybakina managed to register a break again in the 11th game and to give herself a chance to serve out for the match. To no one's surprise, the 12th game didn't go without some drama as the Kazakh blew three match points – but then saved a break point – before realizing her fourth match point to seal the win.

It was the type of win that Rybakina needed

The week before Montreal, the Kazakh reached the Washington semifinal before blowing a 7-6 (2) 5-3 lead against Leylah Fernandez. A month earlier, the former world No. 3 failed to convert any of her four consecutive match points against Aryna Sabalenka in the Berlin quarterfinal. And two months earlier, the Kazakh lost to Iga Swiatek at the French Open despite leading 6-1 2-0 early on in the match.

Against Yastremska, it was another tight contest and a hard day at the office for Rybakina. But she managed to win and she is now set to play against Marta Kostyuk for a place in the Montreal semifinal.

Ex-Slam finalist lays out one strong reason why Emma Raducanu can win Major again

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Anna Kalinskaya

Pam Shriver is not ruling out the possibility of Emma Raducanu winning a Grand Slam once again as the 1978 US Open runner-up suggests that if a player has done it once, they certainly have the mindset to do it at least one more time.

How the British tennis player became a Grand Slam winner in a historic way and the criticism she faced after failing to keep up with the same level in the aftermath of her win is well-documented. 

Last week, Raducanu came very close to making her first final of any sort since the 2022 US Open. Sadly for the 22-year-old, she fell just short in her bid after Anna Kalinskaya handed her a 6-4 6-3 loss in the Washington semifinal. 

Overall, Raducanu is 23-15 this year and ranked at No. 33 in the world. Over the past year, the Briton has improved certain areas in her game – she has managed to stay healthier – and it is positively reflecting on her results. However, she still remains without a really big result or something that could propel her to the top of the game. 

While Shriver – who has one Grand Slam final on her resume and multiple semifinals – acknowledges that Raducanu's results haven't been the best for the past four years, she still believes it is possible for the 22-year-old to lift a Grand Slam glory.

Shriver on Raducanu's future Slam chances

"Obviously, in the last say three and a half years, four years she’s kind of fallen back into kind of like a solid player with some good results during the year. But if you just took her resume, take that US Open out, that one tournament out, you would probably say no she’s not going to win one. She might have some quarterfinals, semifinals, but when you know that somebody’s had the mindset to do it once you always think sure, they can do it again," Shriver said on Talking Tennis. 

Last year, Raducanu confidently said in one of her interviews that she was "going to win Wimbledon one day."

This year, the British tennis player had a third-round outings at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, while she exited the French Open in the second round.

Italian paper claims Jannik Sinner fired Marco Panichi because he 'talked too much'

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Carlos Alcaraz

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.

Elena Rybakina has had three shocking collapses since French Open

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ANNIE FERNANDEZ

Elena Rybakina has had a couple of concerning collapses this year and the latest came this past on Saturday, when the Kazakh blew a big lead and suffered a shock Washington semifinal loss.

After sealing a tight first set versus world No. 36 Leylah Fernandez, the No. 3 seed also went 3-1 up in the second set and had three consecutive break points to open a double-break second-set lead. 

But then, Rybakina's troubles started. First, the Kazakh didn't manage to get a break in the fifth game. Then, the 2022 Wimbledon champion got broken for the very first time in the match when she was serving to seal the win in the 10th game. To make it all worse, she completely disappeared in the second-set tie-break and won only three points there.

The third set was an extremely tight contest as not a single break point was seen. But then, the tie-break quickly turned into a one-sided battle as Fernandez took the opening four points before completing a 6-7 (2) 7-6 (3) 7-6 (3) comeback win.

It is not the first time this has happened to Rybakina this year

Over the last two months, Rybakina – ranked at No. 12 – has had three baffling losses. 

In the French Open round-of-16, the Kazakh was all over Iga Swiatek early on and opened a dominant 6-1 2-0 lead before allowing the Pole to come back and win 1-6 6-3 7-5. In the Berlin quarterfinal, the 2022 Wimbledon champion had four consecutive match points in the third-set tie-break against Aryna Sabalenka before stunningly losing the next six points and seeing the Belarusian win 7-6 (6) 3-6 7-6 (6).

In Washington, Rybakina had yet another collapse and lost herself when the time came for her to get over the finish line. 

Rybakina is now 33-14 on the year. She has been ranked outside the top-10 since April and that won't change on Monday. 

Paris | Sinner to meet Alcaraz in final shootout

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The pressure is on as the two highest ranked players in the world face each other on Sunday in the final of the French Open to decide who is the new King of Clay for 2025.

The post Paris | Sinner to meet Alcaraz in final shootout appeared first on Tennis Threads Magazine.

Paris | Klugman reaches Roland Garros girls singles final

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A British junior, 16-year old Hannah Klugman, has reached the French Open girls singles final for first time in 49 years, defeating Bulgaria’s Rositsa Dencheva, her senior by two years, 1-6 6-3 6-3, on Friday at Roland Garros.

The post Paris | Klugman reaches Roland Garros girls singles final appeared first on Tennis Threads Magazine.

Paris | Djokovic and Sinner set up blockbuster S/F

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In many ways its not surprising to find Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the French Open, but at 38 years of age and having recently collected his 100th title, the Serbian seems to have found a renewed confidence as he makes a final push for that 25th grand slam singles title.

The post Paris | Djokovic and Sinner set up blockbuster S/F appeared first on Tennis Threads Magazine.

Paris | Sabalenka dethrones Swiatek to reach first French Open final

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The women’s semi-finals at the French Open pitched the 4-times champion Iga Swiatek against the World No 1, Aryna Sabalenka, and what promised to be a blockbuster thriller turned into a third set rout by the top seed, who made it through to her first Roland Garros final, 7-6(1) 4-6 6-0, dethroning the defending champion.

The post Paris | Sabalenka dethrones Swiatek to reach first French Open final appeared first on Tennis Threads Magazine.

Paris | Gauff ends Boisson’s fairytale run to reach second French final

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It took Coco Gauff, the No 2 in the world, to end Lois Boisson’s fairytale run at the French Open, disappointing millions of home fans, but the 22-year old wild-card could not muster the same resilience as she had in her previous matches to dent the American’s aggressive and athletic game, and succumbed, 6-1 6-2, in Thursday’s second semi-final on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The post Paris | Gauff ends Boisson’s fairytale run to reach second French final appeared first on Tennis Threads Magazine.

Tiafoe on Musetti Controversy: I Think It's Comical

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"Obviously he did that and nothing happened," Frances Tiafoe said of Lorenzo Musetti kicking a ball that struck a linesperson..Arthur Ashe Stadium court

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Photo credit: Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters Facebook

The ball didn't bounce Frances Tiafoe's way, but a crucial kicked ball call favored Lorenzo Musetti.

Tiafoe wasn't happy about it.

Tennis Express

In case you missed it: During the second set of Musetti's 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 Roland Garros quarterfinal conquest of Tiafoe today, the frustrated Italian kicked a stray ball. Though there was no malice in the kick and the ball was struck softly it hit a lineswoman in the chest.

Tiafoe looked at the chair umpire for a call. The chair umpire hit Musetti with a code violation warning, but not a default, which was an option.

Asked his view of the controversy afterward, Tiafoe said there's a double standard at play that he called "comical."

"I mean, obviously he did that and nothing happened," Tiafoe told the media in Paris. "I think that's comical, but it is what it is. Nothing happened, so there's nothing really to talk about.

"Obviously it's not consistent, so it is what it is."

Former US Open semifinalist Tiafoe is well aware of Novak Djokovic being defaulted from the US Open after accidentally striking a lineswoman in the throat with a ball.

At the 2020 US Open, Djokovic hit a ball in frustration at the back wall after dropping serve. The shot inadvertently struck a lineswoman in the throat immediately knocking her to the Arthur Ashe Stadium court. Djokovic was disqualified from the US Open and forfeited ranking points and the $250,000 prize money he earned reaching the US Open fourth round and incurred a $10,000 fine as well.

Tiafoe's point is simple: Why did Djokovic's strike warrant a disqualification but Musetti's did not?

Presumably, the chair umpire considered the softness of the shot and lack of malice in Musetti's case.

The Grand Slam rule states that disqualification can be ruled if "intentionally hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences." 

In this case, Musetti immediately apologized for the kicked ball and was hit with a code violation. The Monte-Carlo finalist said he believes the chair umpire made the right call as he did not intend to harm anyone.

"Honestly it was really unlucky coincidence," Musetti told the media in Paris. "Yeah, I was a little bit, honestly, scared, because I really didn't want to harm nobody, of course. So I immediately went to the line umpire, and I of course said, Sorry, I apologize to everyone.

"It was right to have a warning, but I think the umpire saw that there was no intention about that, and that's why probably just, you know, let me continue my game."

TNT analyst and former Grand Slam semifinalist Coco Vandeweghe said Musetti should have been ejected.

"In other sports if you put hands on the ref or hit the ref with the ball, you're ejected," Vandeweghe said on TNT. "The accident is always going to be there until it happens on purpose. You are at risk of hitting a ball girl or ball boy or a fan in the stands."

Interestingly, at Roland Garros we've seen similar incidents met with different decisions throughout the years.

The first disqualification of the 2023 Roland Garros generated tears and controversy.

Aldila Sutjiadi and Miyu Kato were disqualified from Roland Garros doubles two years ago after Kato hit a ball that struck a ball girl.

Twenty years before Kato's doubles disqualification, Guillermo Coria hit a ball kid with his Prince racquet and was not disqualified.

Some veteran tennis fans are calling Roland Garros out for an inconsistent standard pointing to the 2003 men's semifinals when a frustrated Guillermo Coria turned and hurled his Prince racquet at the back wall, accidentally brushing a ball kid in the process.

Coria was horrified seeing his racquet nearly nail the ball kid and immediately apologized and offered the ball kid the shirt off his back in an effort to apologize further.  In that case, officials did not default Coria and allowed him to complete that semifinal loss to Martin Verkerk. Coria went on to reach the 2004 Roland Garros final and held championship points before losing a heartbreaker to compatriot Gaston Gaudio.

Paris | Musetti and Alcaraz set up first semi-final

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The first day of quarter final play produced some exhilarating tennis and as it concluded, it set up an intriguing semi-final as the French Open takes another step towards the title match on Sunday.

The post Paris | Musetti and Alcaraz set up first semi-final appeared first on Tennis Threads Magazine.

Paris | Djokovic to face Zverev as Bublik knocks out Draper

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The first day of the second week of the French Open proved to be the last day of the British challenge as both Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie were defeated in their attempts to reach the quarter finals of the major clay court championships.

The post Paris | Djokovic to face Zverev as Bublik knocks out Draper appeared first on Tennis Threads Magazine.

Today at Roland Garros Day 9

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Granby Tennis Club

Today at Roland Garros, the French Open was buzzing with high-stakes matches. In the women’s singles, Loïs Boisson created a stir by defeating the American No. 3 Jessica Pegula in a dramatic match. Ranked 361st, Boisson’s win by 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 was a major upset, making her the lowest-ranked woman to beat a top-five player at the French Open in four decades. She’s now set to face sixth-seeded Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals. The day also saw second-seeded Coco Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, advance against Ekaterina Alexandrova. On the men’s side, No. 3 Alexander Zverev advanced due to the retirement of Tallon Griekspoor, who suffered an abdominal strain.

In other matches, tennis legend Novak Djokovic continued his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title, having already reached his 100th match win at Roland Garros, joining an elite group with Federer and Nadal. Djokovic will face Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. The tournament is heating up as we approach the final stages, with fans eagerly following every serve and volley on the iconic clay courts of Paris.

Granby Tennis Club

Paris | Gauff lines up Keys in Roland Garros quarter-finals

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World No 2 Coco Gauff continued her march into the quarter-finals at the French Open with a 6-0 7-5 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, and will meet fellow American Madison Keys for a spot in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

The post Paris | Gauff lines up Keys in Roland Garros quarter-finals appeared first on Tennis Threads Magazine.

Paris | Vive La France! Boisson stuns Pegula, Andreeva next?

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In the biggest shock of the French Open, a wild-card ranked 361 stunned the World No 3, Jessica Pegula, 3-6 6-4 6-4, in their 4th-round meeting on Monday, thrilling the home crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The post Paris | Vive La France! Boisson stuns Pegula, Andreeva next? appeared first on Tennis Threads Magazine.

French Open 2025 Day Nine Recap

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The second week of Roland Garros began with the top seeds firmly in control. Jannik Sinner dismantled Andrey Rublev in straight sets to cruise into the quarter-finals, while Novak Djokovic marked yet another milestone, his 100th win at the French Open, with a clinical performance over Cameron Norrie. Alexander Zverev progressed after a premature retirement …

French Open 2025 Day Eight Recap

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The second Sunday of Roland Garros 2025 delivered another batch of high-quality matches, as the men’s singles draw narrowed to its final eight. Lorenzo Musetti continued his strong clay form with a composed win over Holger Rune under the lights, Carlos Alcaraz notched his 100th tour-level clay victory in a thrilling four-set battle against Ben …

Paris | Draper and Norrie score a first for GB

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Not since 1963 have two Brits reached the last 16 of the French Open so British fans were celebrating at the weekend following the excellent victories from Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie.

The post Paris | Draper and Norrie score a first for GB appeared first on Tennis Threads Magazine.

French Open 2025 Day Seven Recap

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The business end of the French Open is fast approaching, and Day Seven served up a relatively straightforward batch of matches, with only one encounter going more than three sets. Jannik Sinner delivered the performance of the day with a clinical dismantling of Jiri Lehecka, while Novak Djokovic quietly picked up his 99th win at …

Americans Land Eight in Roland-Garros Round of 16, Most Since 1985

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It's been a banner year for Team USA on the Parisian clay. Boisson

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday May 31, 2025

Paris – American tennis has smashed a record that stood for 40 years at Roland-Garros. Eight Americans – five women, three men – have reached the singles Round of 16 at the French Open for the first time in 40 years.

Tennis Express

The last time the Roland-Garros fourth round featured eight or more American players was 1985, also with five women and three men.

On the women’s side, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova and Hailey Baptiste reached the fourth round. On the men’s side, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe made it through.

The American men have placed three in the second week for the first time since 1995. All three Americans will be in action on Sunday in Paris, with Shelton taking on Alcaraz, Paul facing Alexei Popyrin and Tiafoe facing Daniel Altmaier.

On the women’s side, Anisimova will face Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday.

Keys will face Baptiste in an all-American clash on Monday, Pegula will take on France’s Loic Boisson, while Gauff will face Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia.