27/06/2025

FRIDAY | JUNE 27, 2025

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SPORTS

Struggling Raducanu British No. 1 says will play through pain at Wimbledon

TALKING POINTS

guy or two to add to the mix. That would be really helpful.” McEnroe said the future of men’s tennis is in great hands provided Alcaraz and world No. 1 Sinner stay healthy. “It was unheard of what we watched over the last 20 years and you can make the argument that what we’re seeing now is even faster and different from what we saw even five years ago,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what it’s going to be like in 10 years, or five years even.” – Reuters Men’s singles CAN anyone stop two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or world No. 1 Jannik Sinner lifting the Wimbledon men’s title? The two standout players in the world have gobbled up the past six Grand Slams between them, earlier this month playing out a French Open final for the ages. Novak Djokovic is the last of the “Big Three” still standing, refusing to give up on his dream of a record 25th Grand Slam singles title, while Jack Draper shoulders British hopes. Here’s a look at three talking points ahead of the tournament, which starts at the All England Club on Monday. Alcaraz-Sinner show Alcaraz is aiming to become just the fifth man to win at least three straight Wimbledon titles in the Open Era after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic. Alcaraz, who has beaten Djokovic in the past two finals, arrives at the All England Club fresh from winning Queen’s for a second time, taking his grass-court trophy tally to four. Sinner, 23, remains the world No. 1 and has impressed since returning from a three month doping ban, reaching the final of the Italian Open and the French Open, both of which he lost to Alcaraz. Djokovic still eyeing history Djokovic is still dreaming of putting an exclamation point on his incredible career by becoming the most successful singles player in history. Currently the Serb is locked on 24 Grand Slams with the long-retired Margaret Court and has not won a major since the 2023 US Open. The 38-year-old, who won his 100th tour level title in May in Geneva, first lifted the Wimbledon trophy in 2011, with his most recent triumph coming in 2022. The question is whether Djokovic, now ranked sixth in the world, can get past Alcaraz or Sinner at their best – he lost to Sinner in straight sets in the semifinals at Roland Garros. Djokovic may need the current top two to stumble somewhere along the way but it would be foolish to write him off. Can Draper take on Murray’s man tle? Wimbledon this week announced plans to honour two-time champion Andy Murray with a statue – showing the esteem in which the retired Scot is held. The current British men’s No. 1 is Draper, who has enjoyed a breakthrough season, winning his first ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells and reaching the final in Madrid. The 23-year-old world No. 4, who has an explosive game, can boast previous wins against Alcaraz and Sinner. But he has never been beyond the second round at Wimbledon and has only reached one Grand Slam semifinal, at last year’s US Open. AFP

E MMA RADUCANU has pledged to play through the pain barrier at Wimbledon after suffering more back issues in her defeat at the Eastbourne Open. Asked if there was a chance she could miss her home Grand Slam, the British No. 1 said: “No, I think I will step on the court regardless.” The former US Open champion struggled physi cally as she lost eight games out of nine in the mid dle of the match and trailed 2-5 in the final set against Aussie teenager Maya Joint. She showed great grit to stop the Aussie No. 2 serving out the match before going down to a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 defeat in her last match before Wimbledon. The former US Open winner suffered the spasms before the Australian Open and French Open and pulled out of last week’s Berlin Open after a recurrence at Queen’s Club. She again underwent acupuncture before appearing in Eastbourne. “I’ve just been managing it,” she said. “Normal fatigue after playing a long match, but, yeah, hope fully I can recover. “I still have a few days before Wimbledon so I’m looking forward to kind of recovering, and hope fully it settles. “I would say it bothers me. I wouldn’t say it’s like I can’t move. Like a lot of athletes, we all carry kind of something that we’re managing and playing through, but I’d just say that it’s, it’s okay, I can play, and I can still put out some, you know, pretty decent tennis in the situation.” Asked what she will now do before Wimbledon starts on Monday, she said: “I am going to rest tomorrow. Just yeah, take it day by day. Get some practice in. I think it could be a blessing in disguise, having some rest right now. “I think I’m looking forward to heading back WIMBLEDON Barbora Krejcikova saved match points for the second successive day against a British opponent to reach the quarterfinals of the Eastbourne WTA 250 event yesterday. The 29-year-old Czech was troubled by a thigh strain and looked on the verge of being knocked out by Jodie Burrage when she served at 5-6 in the deciding set and fell 0-40 behind but she somehow turned it around to win 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3). Second seed Krejcikova, who beat Italy’s Jasmine Paolini to win last year’s Wimbledon title, seemed in control when leading by a set and a break of serve but needed treatment on her leg. Burrage, ranked 164th in the world, played impressively to hit back though and broke Krejcikova’s serve to level the match – one point being awarded to her after a forehand from her opponent found its way through a hole in the net. The 26-year-old British player kept just ahead in the decider but she could not take any of the three match points that came her way and then a costly double-fault in the tiebreak offered up match points to Krejcikova, who made no mistake. champion

necessarily great, but I did dig it out in the third set, in terms of getting a few live situations of break points coming back. “I think it all goes to a bank of experi ence, and it just keeps the match sharp ness ahead of next week as well. “I think Maya played a really good match. It was obviously very long, but credit to her. “She really stepped up and in a lot of big moments there. So I’m rooting for her, and hopefully she goes all the way.” – Express Newspapers

and then getting on the grass at Wimbledon. I think I will like step on the court regardless.” Alongside her part-time coach Mark Petchey, Raducanu had chief LTA trainer Ian Aylward in her player box at Devonshire Park. “He’s someone who I’ve known for the last couple

years, did a lot of work with him last year, and he’s just a really friendly face of support,” said the world No. 38. “It’s nice to have him there, cheering me on. I couldn’t get over the line today but he’s done a lot for me behind the scenes.” US - bo r n Joint, 19, reaches the

quarterfi nals after winning her first two grasscourt matches as a pro. Raducanu added: “I think, yeah, I did fight back well, in that situation, I

Emma Raducanu. – REUTERSPIC

think I put myself in that situation to start with, which wasn’t

Krejcikova does it the hard way again

Krejcikova, who also saved match points on Tuesday against home player Harriet Dart, has won two singles matches in a row for the first time in an injury-hit 2025. “Another tough match,” Krejcikova, who also has a French Open singles crown to her name, said on court. “Brits know how to play on grass and it’s hard to play against them but happy I’m through. “I was going through a difficult moment at the beginning of this year but I’m happy I’m here and can keep finding the level that I know I can reach.” In the men’s ATP event, Britain’s Dan Evans produced his second impressive win of the grass season as the 35-year-old knocked out American world No. 13 Tommy Paul 6-4 3-6 6-3. “I know I have done the work. Once I got confidence, the work was in the bank,” Evans, now ranked 170th, said. “If you’re ready and the door opens, you will walk through it.” – Reuters

Barbora Krejcikova. – REUTERSPIC

Alcaraz, Sinner would benefit from new Big Three: McEnroe THE emergence of a third young star to challenge the supremacy of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner would push the duo’s already scintillating rivalry to new heights, tennis great John McEnroe said. when he was trying to get to the same level as Roger (Federer) and Rafa (Nadal),” McEnroe told reporters yesterday. “It shows you what type of a player he was that he was able to do that. But right now, there’s a void.”

Spain saved three successive match points to battle back from two sets down and beat the Italian in the longest French Open final in history. Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik, 19, and 18-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca are two teenagers McEnroe could envision breaking into the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry, as well as big-serving American Ben Shelton. “One of those two guys or Ben would be my choice right now,” said seven-time Grand Slam champion McEnroe. “I think it would be important to get another

Alcaraz and Sinner are coming off a French Open final for the ages and head into next week’s Wimbledon having evenly split the last six majors between them. “It’s going to be an interesting time to see if there’s another player or two who can break in with those two the way Novak (Djokovic) did

Djokovic, Federer and Nadal enjoyed a two decade stranglehold on men’s tennis and their era of dominance was made even richer by the three-sided nature of the rivalry. In a Roland Garros showdown of unsurpassed quality, 22-year-old Alcaraz of