Tennis

Rafael Nadal will be honoured in a ceremony at this year’s French Open, says tournament director Amelie Mauresmo. The Spanish great, who retired in November, won 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros. No other player has won as many singles titles at one Grand Slam event …

Serena Williams says she would have been banned for 20 years and had some of her Grand Slam titles taken away if she had committed the same anti-doping offence as men’s world number one Jannik Sinner. Italy’s Sinner, 23, is serving a three-month doping ban after reaching a settlement with …

Lynette Horsburgh BBC News Alice Carroll David Bryceland has been on a mission to introduce tennis to children in Kosovo since 2016 A tennis coach said he was “delighted” to officially open an all-weather court in Kosovo after spending almost a decade fundraising for it. David Bryceland, from Altrincham, Greater …

Alcaraz, as he has done for most of the week, made a wayward start. An early break lead was cancelled out by Musetti, who reeled off four games in a row as Alcaraz sprayed errors off his forehand. Musetti’s accuracy won out over his opponent’s pacy hitting, with the Italian …

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to win a title on clay and I can’t wait to try my luck again here,” the 21-year-old said. “I just had to be patient and believe that this moment was going to come again. “Sometimes the people are not …

Kartal, who made her national-team debut against Germany, showed composure after missing a host of opportunities in the second set. She came back from an early break down in the first set, hitting 11 winners to Vedder’s seven as she outmuscled her in the forehand exchanges. Kartal should have broken …

Alcaraz said he had to “stay strong” and “wait for chances” against Fils before he was able to capitalise on any errors. “I think his level is high right now and he puts a lot of pressure on his opponents,” Alcaraz said. “Today I could feel it but in some …

Great Britain’s Katie Boulter stages a brilliant comeback to secure a 2-0 BJK Cup victory over Germany as she beats Tatjana Maria 1-6 6-3 6-1. BBC News

Kartal watched GB’s triumph against France in last year’s qualifiers from afar, having spent three months out with a health issue. However, she has risen up the rankings in the past 12 months, clinching her first WTA title on the way. A good mover on the clay, she played confidently …

Great Britain captain Anne Keothavong says the lack of top-20 players at the Billie Jean King Cup is “a tennis problem, not a player problem”. Only three of the world’s top-20 will compete in this week’s qualifying rounds, with Poland’s Iga Swiatek and American trio Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and …

Clay has not previously been Draper’s favourite surface but, after receiving a first-round bye, his performance against American Marcos Giron in round two showed promise. The British number one was not at his best in the opening set against Davidovich Fokina, berating himself throughout with cries of “wake up” and …

Competing for the first time since his opening defeat at the Miami Open last month, Alcaraz clinched the first break of serve but fell a set down after losing five of the following six games. It only added to the confidence of Cerundolo, who is tied for the most wins …

Legendary tennis player and social equality advocate Billie Jean King has received a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. King, 81, is the first woman to be given the honour in the new sports entertainment category. The Hollywood Walk of Fame was previously reserved for stars of cinema, television, radio, …

Kartal is set to make her BJK Cup debut following Raducanu’s withdrawal, a year after a health issue meant she had to watch GB’s qualifier against France from afar. After three months out, the 23-year-old staged an impressive comeback, breaking into the top 100 and winning a WTA title on …

Rublev has yet to win a Grand Slam, having lost 10 times in the quarter-finals. His first tournament with Safin will be the Monte Carlo Masters, where he faces Gael Monfils on Wednesday. “Marat is someone that inspired me since I was a kid,” Rublev added. “I’m just trying to …

Former US Open champion Medvedev has dropped out of the top 10 after a difficult start to the season. He has not won a title since the Rome Masters in 2023, which was also on clay, and hasn’t reached a final since Indian Wells last year. Medvedev has frequently said …

Original versions of songs that became bigger hits for the artists who covered them. BBC News

There is no escaping the fact that age is catching up with Novak Djokovic. With his 38th birthday fast approaching, the evidence shows the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s powers are waning. But as the men’s clay-court season begins in Monte Carlo, Djokovic looks in a much better place than a …

Close friendships were formed as Ward-Hibbert travelled the world playing tennis, and in 2012 he reached the pinnacle as he teamed up with Liam Broady to win the Australian Open junior doubles title. Ward-Hibbert turned professional and won one singles title and 13 doubles titles on the ITF Futures circuit, …

World number five Djokovic reached his first final of the season at the Miami Open, losing to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. The 37-year-old has not won a singles title on the tour since the season-ending ATP Tour Finals in 2023, with his much-wanted Olympic gold not counting as an ATP …