27/05/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | MAY 27, 2026

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Berrettini taps ‘psycho’ mentality for injury comebacks

ITALIAN Matteo Berrettini said he was “a little bit psycho” for embracing the grind of injury come backs following his 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 win over Marton Fucsovics yesterday in his first French Open appearance since 2021. Once ranked as high as No. 6 in the world, Berrettini has struggled with fitness issues and missed eight out of the 18 Grand Slams since his runner-up finish to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon

“I like to compete. I like to have fun with it. I like to win as many matches as possible. It’s been five years since I played Paris. It feels good to be here talking about a win.” World No. 105 Berrettini, who plays Arthur Rinderknech in the second round of Roland Garros, is already looking forward to Wimbledon starting next month, though he may need a wild card to play at the All England Club. – Reuters

what I’ve achieved,” Berrettini told reporters. “Those who know me since I was a kid know I’ve been getting injured since I was 12, basically. It’s a part of who I am. If I have a big serve, big forehand, I also have this issue. “I also have a resilient mind and always work hard to come back… I like to compete. I like to put myself in situations where most people would struggle… I’m a little bit psycho.

five years ago. Berrettini has slipped down the rankings with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner now leading Italy’s hopes at the majors, but the 30-year-old said injuries were something that he had faced since a young age. “When injuries come, you’re always negative and you don’t want to stop, and you think ‘I could have done this’ or ‘I could have done that’ but I look in the mirror and I’m so proud of my career and

Legends bid Adieu Wawrinka and Monfils confront emotional endings on beloved clay courts at Roland Garros

FOUR-TIME French Open champion Iga Swiatek and second seed Elena Rybakina both eased into the second round with comfortable wins at a sweltering Roland Garros yesterday. Swiatek, playing at a Grand Slam event for the first time since linking up with Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig, made short work of seeing off Australian teenager Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-2 in just 60 minutes. The Pole is looking to regain the trophy she won at Roland Garros in three successive years from 2022-24 before losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals 12 months ago. Swiatek will take on Czech Sara Bejlek for a place in the last 32 tomor row. The third seed is among the favourites for the title after finding some form by reaching the Italian Open semifinals earlier this month. “I’m really happy with the way I played. It was a solid match from the beginning to the end. “I technically knew how to play,” said Swiatek. Rybakina also wasted little time in swatting aside Slovenian Veronika Erjavec 6-2, 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier. Like Swiatek, the Kazakh was pleased to not spend too much time on court in the 32 ° C heat. “It’s tough conditions but I’m happy things worked, and I’m look ing forward to the next match,” she said. Rybakina, who won the Australian Open earlier this year, plays Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva next. Elina Svitolina survived a scare against Hungary’s Anna Bondar on Court Suzanne Lenglen, fighting back from 3-1 down in a deciding set to win 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10-3). Former runner-up Jasmine Paolini was a 7-5, 6-3 winner over Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine. China’s Zheng Qinwen, who won Olympic gold at Roland Garros two years ago, crashed out in the first round for the first time with a 6-4, 6 0 loss to Poland’s Maja Chwalinska. Sixth seed Amanda Anisimova, last year’s Wimbledon and US Open run ner-up, beat French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6 3, 6-1. – AFP Rybakina, Swiatek ease into Paris second round

Jodar sparkles in French Open CARLOS ALCARAZ may have established himself as the“Prince of Clay” with successive French Open titles in the post-Rafa Nadal era at Roland Garros but the defending champion’s absence this year has allowed another young Spaniard to grab the spotlight. Away from Court Philippe Chatrier, where record 14-times champion Nadal forged his French Open legacy, 19-year-old Rafael Jodar quietly began carv ing his own path on Monday with a 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 first-round win over Aleksandar Kovacevic. Like his idol Nadal did for the best part of two decades on the red dirt of Paris, Jodar showed no mercy to his opponent and backed up the growing hype around him after an impressive clay season in the build-up to the year’s second Grand Slam. “I think I did things well from the start and I’m super happy to get my first win in Paris,” Jodar told reporters of the 94-minute workout on his Roland Garros main draw debut. “First matches are always dif ficult in the tournament. So I had to serve very well. “I tried to play my game dur ing the first two sets, and even when the things got a little bit trickier in the third set and I had to face break points, I played well. “When you’re playing a five sets match, everything can go up and down. “You just have to face it the best way possible.” Ranked 903 a little more than a year ago, Jodar entered the top 50 last month after he bagged his first ATP title in Morocco and then made the semifinals of the Barcelona Open. He followed that up with back-to-back quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome. Those results lifted the energetic and aggressive Spaniard to No. 29 in the world, but Jodar said he was not in a rush to place lofty expectations on him self. The high temperatures took their toll on two-time runner-up Casper Ruud and Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin, as the Norwegian nar rowly avoided a first opening round defeat at Roland Garros, winning 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 0-6, 6 2. – AFP

F ORMER French Open champion Stan Wawrinka bowed out of his 21st and final Roland Garros yesterday as he admitted saying goodbye to the clay-court Grand Slam was the hardest moment of his last year on tour. While Gael Monfils is determined to emulate the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James by playing into his 40s and hopes to play at Wimbledon, Montreal and the US Open before bringing down the curtain on his career on home soil at the Paris Masters The 41-year-old Swiss will hang up his racquet at the end of the current season and had hoped for one last swansong at the major he won in 2015 but his farewell was cut short in the first round.

“Today it was really tough. It’s never easy to say good bye to something you love so much,” he said. “I grew up watching Roland Garros. I’m from Switzerland, from the French part. The dream at that time of the year (May/June) was to come back from school and to put on France Televisions and watch all night, all day, until late. As a kid, I just enjoyed that so much. “For me, the French Open is always going to be com pletely different than the other tournaments.” He added that Roland Garros was “probably at the top” of the most difficult places to bid farewell to during his final season as a professional. For Monfils, who turns 40 in September, bade a fond farewell to Roland Garros after going down 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-0 to compatriot Hugo Gaston in the first round yesterday, walking off to a standing ovation that cele brated a career that spanned two decades. Monfils will retire at the end of the sea son as he seeks to manage his body into his 40s. “Why do I want to get to the States? Because I want to play until 40. My wish is to be an athlete that plays until 40 years old,” Monfils said. “Like Stan (Wawrinka), LeBron, Cristiano, (Patrice) Evra, like all of the athletes who have managed to continue their sport until the age of 40. “That’s what I want to do. You know that what ever happens this summer, I’m locked in to train.”

Wawrinka went down in just over three hours on court under a blazing sun, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Dutch lucky loser Jesper de Jong. “It was amazing. More than what I could expect and what I could dream of,” Wawrinka told report ers. “So much support, so much love from the people. It was exactly the reason why I kept playing for so long.” Despite also winning major titles in Melbourne and New York, Wawrinka revealed Roland

Garros was the tourna ment that meant the most to him.

The former world No. 6, who has enjoyed some of his best results on clay, acknowledged that the sur face has become more chal lenging in recent years. While he hopes to secure a wildcard for the US Open, he also plans to play Wimbledon and Montreal. “Hopefully Wimbledon. Then need to decide if we go to Washington or not,” he said. “I think we will ask Montreal, hopefully. “I want to say goodbye to Montreal. Obviously I will ask the French Federation to have the US Open wildcard. Hopefully I will have this one. “Asia is a bit blurry, to be honest. Then the end of the year, I can tell you I will play Lyon, the new tournament. Nicolas (his agent) wants me to play Vienna, and then hopefully, Paris.” The 13-time ATP title winner reached the French Open semifinals in 2008 and was a key part of France’s Davis Cup runs in 2010 and 2014. – AFP/Reuters

Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka acknowledges the crowd after losing to Netherlands’ Jesper de Jong in the first round of the 2026 Roland Garros yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

Mendis leads white-ball teams to West Indies

SRI LANKA’S cricket selectors named Kusal Mendis on Monday as the new captain of both the one-day international and T20 teams for the upcoming tour of the West Indies. Dhananjaya de Silva was retained as Test cap tain, while Kamindu Mendis was appointed vice captain across all three formats. Sri Lanka’s squad departed for the West Indies

The first Test will be played from June 25 and the second will start on July 3, both at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. The three T20Is will be played between June 11 and 14. Sri Lanka drew the two-Test series on their previous West Indies tour in 2021, but lost all three ODIs. – AFP

yesterday, their first tour there in five years. They will play two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is, the cricket board said on Monday. Selectors included two uncapped players – Pasindu Sooriyabandara, 26, and 29-year-old

Isitha Wijesundara – in the 17-member Test squad. The tour begins with the first ODI on June 3, followed by matches on June 6 and 8 at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica.