Halep suffers worrying injury blow as Serena & Osaka bow out on dramatic day in Rome
Simona Halep’s Roland-Garros hopes appear to be in doubt after injury ended her clash with Angelique Kerber in Rome
Serena Williams falls at the first hurdle in Rome, to Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska
Serena Williams dropped her first clay-court match of 2021 in straight sets to Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska.
Djokovic beats Fritz after Rome rain, Auger-Aliassime masters Schwartzman
World number one Novak Djokovic was broken twice in the second set, but Taylor Fritz could not take the top seed the distance in Rome
Fritz to face Djokovic in Rome as Sinner gets shot at Nadal
Taylor Fritz progressed to a meeting with world number one Novak Djokovic in Rome, while Rafael Nadal will face Jannik Sinner.
The eight questions we’re all asking after Madrid
After the Madrid Masters 1000 and WTA 1000, the clay-court season has already yielded some valuable pointers for the French Open, without giving away all its secrets. Here are the eight questions that we are all (more or less) mainly asking ourselves before this week’s next stage, in Rome
Naomi Osaka: “Clay still a learning process”
The world No 2 says she’s still trying to become more comfortable on the surface but won’t change her aggressive playing style
Murray heads for Djokovic test in Rome as Scot tunes up for Wimbledon and Olympics
Andy Murray will be practising with some of the tennis elite in Rome over the coming week as he targets full match fitness
Barty v Sabalenka: The WTA’s two hottest players will collide again in the Madrid final
World No 1 Ash Barty will meet Aryna Sabalenka in a prestigious clay-court final for the second time this spring. Here we look a bit more closely at this budding rivalry on clay
Refreshed Thiem plots new path on tour, with same goals in mind
After his convincing clay-court debut, Dominic Thiem talked to media about the importance of being 100 percent both mentally and physically. The Austrian star says he plans to play less, but with more conviction, in the future.
How to come back after Covid-19 – another challenge for Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev will return to competition on Wednesday in Madrid, three weeks after testing positive for Covid-19 prior to the Monte-Carlo Masters. Judging from other players who previously had the virus, the process of getting back in peak form could take some time.
‘I never planned to end my career in a pandemic’ – Barbora Strycova announces retirement
The former doubles world No 1 is expecting a baby and will not be playing full-time any more – but will step on to court for one last match
Croatia, Istanbul, Schiavone: 10 questions about Petra Martic
Petra Martic has won one WTA singles title and reached the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros. Here are answers to 10 questions about the Croatian
Rejuvenated Thiem arrives in Madrid with sights set on Roland-Garros
Ready to make his return to the tour after a six-week hiatus, World No 4 Dominic Thiem says he is happy to be back in Madrid, and in a good way physically
Osaka builds on clay foundations as Halep makes strong start in Madrid
After a slow start, second seed Naomi Osaka quickly found her range to overcome Misaki Doi at the Madrid Open.
Experience on clay, specific drills, Sharapova’s example; how Osaka is setting her sights on Roland-Garros
Almost two years after her last clay-court match, Naomi Osaka made a winning start in Madrid on Friday on a surface she knows will take time to master
“I’m Ambitious. I Always Want to Play Perfect” – Iga Swiatek expects a lot from her Madrid debut
She may be a Roland-Garros champion but Iga Swiatek admits she’s still very much inexperienced compared to the tour’s top clay-courters.
Barty, Osaka, Halep and more: Breaking down the women’s draw in Madrid
Last year, it took place virtually but this year the Mutua Madrid Open is back and there are plenty of fascinating narratives to follow. We break down some of the most intriguing elements of the upcoming tournament
World No 1 Novak Djokovic to skip Madrid Masters
The Serb has lost earlier than expected in his two clay court events – the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Serbian Open – in 2021 so far
Limited capacity, vaccines, no Hawk-Eye Live: What we learned from the Wimbledon press conference
The All England Club announced on Tuesday that it will have a minimum of 25 percent of fans in 2021 while there will be play on the middle Sunday from 2022
A mental block for Serena at Grand Slams? “We are looking for the solution” (Patrick Mouratoglou)
Serena Williams will make her comeback on clay in Rome in mid-May to prepare for Roland Garros, where she will have another chance to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles. To achieve that goal, she will have to take a psychological step, according to coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who believes that the repeated failures of his player in recent slam finals are ‘an additional adversary’.
Another turn on the road to RG: What we learned at Barcelona, Stuttgart, Belgrade and Istanbul
We close the books on events at Barcelona, Belgrade, Istanbul and Stuttgart, and mark the key accomplishments of a busy week of WTA and ATP action.