Raducanu 'just friends' with future doubles partner Alcaraz

eNCA8 hours ago

British number one Emma Raducanu refused to be drawn on rumours of a relationship with French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz as the duo gear up for a doubles partnership at the US Open.
Raducanu and Alcaraz practiced together at Wimbledon on Friday as part of a sponsors commitment and will play alongside each other at Flushing Meadows in September in the mixed doubles.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz revealed last week he had made the request to play with Raducanu, who shot to fame when she won the US Open in 2021.
"We're just good friends," said a smiling Raducanu when asked about speculation that the two are dating.
"It was fun yesterday. We were both on court with Evian. We were just getting some volley practicing ahead of New York.
"I'm really happy obviously to be playing with him. Yeah, we had a good time yesterday."
In contrast to Alcaraz's meteoric rise since making his major breakthrough at the US Open three years ago, Raducanu has struggled to shine under the spotlight since becoming a household name.
The 22-year-old has never progressed beyond the fourth round of the Grand Slam since winning in New York and has been battling a back injury heading into Wimbledon.
"Truthfully I don't expect much from myself this year. I know I've just been dealing with certain things. I just want to go out there and embrace the moment," added Raducanu, who faces fellow Briton Mimi Xu in the first round.
"I know there's not many opportunities to be playing at Wimbledon. You get it once a year and for a finite amount of time.

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Draper ready to fill Murray's shoes as Britain's Wimbledon hope

eNCA

40 minutes ago

eNCA

Draper ready to fill Murray's shoes as Britain's Wimbledon hope

Jack Draper insists he can cope with the pressure of replacing Andy Murray as Britain's leading contender to win Wimbledon. Murray ended the 77-year wait for a British winner of the Wimbledon men's singles title when he beat Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final. The Scot won Wimbledon again three years later during an iconic career that included three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and a spell as world number one. Murray retired following the 2024 Paris Olympics, but British world number four Draper has already emerged as a worthy successor to the 38-year-old. Now Draper knows he has to prove he can handle the expectations of the British sporting public at his home Grand Slam. "Yeah, for sure. I think obviously when Andy retired, they said I was the next in line for that," Draper told reporters at the All England Club on Saturday. "Obviously Andy has done an unbelievable job. He's been incredibly successful and has become adored by the nation. It's obviously big shoes to fill. I'm aware of that. "At the same time I'm confident in myself that hopefully I can inspire people like Andy has done. "I'll keep trying to show my best tennis out there, to hopefully present myself as the player and the person I want to be." Murray has been a useful resource for Draper since the 23-year-old burst onto the scene with a run to the US Open last 16 in 2023. And Draper won't be shy about asking Murray for advice on how to deal with the Wimbledon spotlight. - Mentor Murray - "Obviously Andy has given me an amazing amount of feedback and advice over the years. I think one of the biggest things is everyone is on their different journey," Draper said. "I know Andy's right there for me if I need him any time. There may come a point where I ask him a few things, and I'm sure he'll come back and be extremely helpful and supportive, as always." Draper, who start his Wimbledon campaign against Argentina's Sebastian Baez on Tuesday, has never been past the second round in his three Wimbledon appearances. This year's draw poses a host of threats to the Londoner's dreams of emulating Murray's Wimbledon success. Draper is scheduled to face former Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic in the second round and Alexander Bublik, who beat him in the recent French Open, in the third round. The draw seeds Draper to meet seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic in the last eight, world number Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final. "I haven't looked at that at all. I look at my first round. I respect every person in the draw," he said. "Obviously you guys have asked me a lot about the pressure and all that sort of stuff. I'm not thinking about that at all." Draper's victory at Indian Wells in March was his first ATP Masters 1000 title, building on his maiden Grand Slam semi-final appearance at last year's US Open. After a rocky spell when he struggled to adapt to the gruelling demands of the ATP Tour, Draper now feels comfortable on and off the court. "I think maturity, taking responsibility for my actions. When I was younger, it's tough. My friends went to university. I suppose they had an extended period of their childhood or their time to have fun," he said. "Sometimes you want to just take a break, but you can't in a sport like tennis. I would say that's the most challenging thing about being on the tour. "For me it was a process and was definitely something I really struggled with at first. I suppose just growing up." By Steven Griffiths

Coaching upheaval won't dent Sinner's Wimbledon title charge

eNCA

6 hours ago

eNCA

Coaching upheaval won't dent Sinner's Wimbledon title charge

World number one Jannik Sinner insists his surprise decision to part with two of his coaching staff on the eve of Wimbledon will not affect his bid to win the tournament for the first time. Sinner has opted to move on from Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio, his trainer and physiotherapist respectively, as he looks for a new direction following his painful French Open final loss to Carlos Alcaraz. The pair had been employed by Sinner since September 2024, helping him retain the Australian Open crown in January and reach the Roland Garros showpiece in June. Asked if the decision might jeopardise his Wimbledon challenge over the next fortnight, Sinner was adamant it would be beneficial, with coaches Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill still on his staff. "I parted ways not long ago, but it's not affecting me. I feel ready to compete. I feel free. I feel me and my team, we are ready to do the best we can," Sinner told reporters at the All England Club on Saturday. "We've reached incredible results in the past with them, so obviously huge thanks to them. We made some great job, but I decided to do something different. "As I said, we made some great work. For me the final in Roland Garros was an amazing achievement. That's it." Sinner explained the split was amical. "Look, in this sport things can happen," he said. "Nothing crazy happened... sometimes a player feels something different, and that's my case. "I'm here to show that I can play some good tennis also on grass." Sinner has won three of the last six Grand Slams, but is still recovering from losing an epic French Open clash with Alcaraz. The 23-year-old blew a two-set lead and wasted three match-points as Alcaraz staged a comeback for the ages to win in the final set tie-break. Sinner has failed to reach the Wimbledon final in his four visits, with a last four appearance in 2023 ranking as his best effort. - Passion for fashion - The Italian's Wimbledon preparations were also dented by a shock last-16 defeat against Alexander Bublik in the grass-court event at Halle. But top seeded Sinner, who will start his Wimbledon campaign against compatriot Luca Nardi, remains in confident mood. "Feels good again after one year coming back here. I'm very happy. I have some good feelings," he said. "We are practising very well. I feel ready to compete again." Sinner's pursuit of a maiden Wimbledon crown could hinge on a potential heavyweight semi-final clash with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic. But rather than fret about that possible blockbuster tie, Sinner was in relaxed mood as he delved into his off-court hobbies. Sinner recently released a duet with renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli. Titled Polvere e Gloria, which means Dust and Glory, the song features Sinner reciting speeches about winning and losing. "That was the first time that I got to know him in person. It was very nice. Obviously he's an incredible artist. Just being part of this for me was amazing," Sinner said. "Just something completely different. I would have never thought that I would be in these kind of things in the future." Sinner has also indulged his passion for fashion by working with iconic brand Gucci. "Gucci is Italian. To work with them, it's very nice," he said. "I learn new things every time when I go on fashion shows. I like to ask why they use certain colours, and you see how they think about fashion. "I'm not the guy who is going to show up with something to show off!" By Steven Griffiths

Springboks national anthem singer delivers GOOSEBUMPS [video]

The South African

7 hours ago

The South African

Springboks national anthem singer delivers GOOSEBUMPS [video]

The Springboks kicked off their first game of 2025 – against the Barbarians – with an emotional rendition of the South African national anthem, courtesy of Cape Town singer Janice Roos. The boys in green and gold beat the British side 54-7 at a cold and wet DHL Stadium. In the next few weeks, the Boks will play Italy and Georgia on home soil. Despite the doom and gloom of the Cape Town weather, local singer Janice Roos was a ray of sunshine as she performed the national anthem. The Mother City singer – who has previously sung at the Curry Cup finals – belted out Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika at the DHL Stadium. The performance kicked off the Springboks' first game of 2025. Take a look… South Africans will be spoiled for choice with more exciting Springboks test matches and emotional national anthem performances for the rest of the year. Here's what they can expect from home games… Castle Lager Incoming Series 5 July: South Africa vs Italy, Loftus Versfeld (Pretoria) 12 July: South Africa vs Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (Gqeberha) 19 July: South Africa vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium (Nelspruit) Castle Lager Rugby Championship 16 August: South Africa vs Australia, Emirates Airline Park (Johannesburg) 23 August: South Africa vs Australia, DHL Stadium (Cape Town) 27 September: South Africa vs Argentina, Hollywoodbets Kings Park (Durban) The Springboks will also play these away games. 6 September: South Africa vs New Zealand, Auckland (Eden Park) 13 September: South Africa vs New Zealand, Wellington (Sky Stadium) 4 October: South Africa vs Argentina, London (Twickenham) 8 November: South Africa vs France, Paris (Stade de France) 15 November: South Africa vs Italy, Turin (Allianz Stadium) 22 November: South Africa vs Ireland, Dublin (Aviva Stadium) 29 November: South Africa vs Wales, Cardiff (Principality Stadium) Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.