Latest news with #ArthurFils
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tennis world erupts over news about Alex de Minaur and Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon
Alex de Minaur will have the chance to erase his Wimbledon heartache from 12 months ago after setting up a mouthwatering last-16 clash with Novak Djokovic. The Aussie tennis star marched through his fourth round encounter against Danish qualifier August Holmgren in straight sets, while Djokovic looked in ominous touch in a ruthless display against compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic as he notched a landmark 100th Wimbledon singles win. De Minaur and Djokovic were supposed to meet in the fourth round at the All England Club last year but a hip injury meant the Aussie had to withdraw. But after setting up the blockbuster showdown against the Serb with a 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 victory over Holmgren, the 11th seed couldn't hide his excitement about finally earning a crack at "the ultimate challenge" in tennis. "It's funny how life works. It was a brutal time for me last year having to deal with all of those emotions, but here we are a year later feeling good, ready to go, and I'm going to get my chance again," de Minaur said. "Now I'm getting to play Novak on one of his favourite, if not his favourite, surfaces and his favourite tournament. So it's going to be the ultimate challenge, and I'm excited for it." Twelve months ago, 'Demon' had been in spectacular form until injury struck right at the end of his victory over Frenchman Arthur Fils in the fourth round. The Aussie suffered the season-compromising hip injury that prevented him meeting the 24-time grand slam champ in the last-eight. But the 26-year-old is looking sharper again since taking a recent break from tennis. And it was in evidence as he ended the fairytale run of Holmgren, who saved three match points in his final qualifying match and three more in his second-round victory. The big-serving Dane served 61 aces throughout the tournament and came up with what Demon called "clutch tennis" in their match. "He's got an unbelievable serve, a great forehand. He takes the racquet out of your hand, and when he's playing with a lot of confidence, it makes a very tricky opponent. I had to bring some of my best tennis, especially in those tough moments. He's had a hell of a tournament." 'Demon' broke just the once in the opener at 4-4 and the prospect of Holmgren levelling up in the second was very much alive as they contested a tight second-set tiebreak. But de Minaur got lucky with a serve that kicked up off the chalk to earn set point and Holmgren then produced a deflating double fault. Another double from Holmgren in the third stanza gave Demon the key break for 4-2 before he went on to seal victory in two hours 21 minutes. De Minaur and Jordan Thompson are now the last two Aussies standing out of the 17 original starters in singles after Daria Kasatkina was beaten in a one-sided contest against Liudmila Samsonova, 6-2 6-3. RELATED: Wimbledon breaks 148-year rule after tragic death of star Calls for change as 'dumb' Wimbledon tradition infuriates fans Meantime, Djokovic joined nine-time winner Martina Navratilova and eight-time champion Roger Federer as the only players to have reached the century mark in victories at Wimbledon after his 6-3 6-0 6-4 win over fellow Serb, Kecmanović. The seven-time champion will make his seventh straight appearance in the blockbuster against de Minaur after showcasing some of his best tennis in a ruthless display. The French Open is the only other grand slam where Djokovic has surpassed 100 wins (101). He has won least at 90 matches at the Australian Open (99) and US Open (90). "It's very historic. It sounds very nice. I am very grateful to be in this position," said Djokovic. "Wimbledon is a favourite tournament and a dream for so many players. Any history I make at my favourite tournament, I'm blessed." Men's top seed Jannik Sinner crushed Pedro Martinez in straight sets to power his way into the last-16 but defending women's champ Barbora Krejcikova made a tearful exit. The Czech appeared to be struggling with injury as she wept in the closing stages of the third-round loss against Emma Navarro on Court One. On paper De Minaur, in week 2 where the court is just a little bit slower & w/ the grass at & behind the baseline being worn out means it's easier to move on. But ADM has been bad this year. A win vs Djokovic would turn his season around though #wimbledon — Sports Savantstradamus 3.0 (@iStayWinning711) July 5, 2025 🟢 Novak Djokovic 🇷🇸 advances to the Pre-Quarterfinals 🌱🎾He defeated his compatriot in straight sets (6-0; 6-0; 6-4) 👏He will now face Alex de Minaur in the Round of 16 for a berth in QFs 🌟#NovakDjokovic | #Wimbledon2025 | #TennisUpdate | #SportsNews — Bharat On Field (Indian Sports) (@Bharat_OnField) July 5, 2025 I'm intrigued by De Minaur Djokovic. #Wimbledon — Abhi (@RealAbhs) July 5, 2025 Wow, Djokovic's 100th Wimbledon win is incredible! Excited for his match against de Minaur—should be a great one! — Afee (@Afeemetax) July 5, 2025 with agencies
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
France's No 1 tennis star withdraws from Wimbledon with stress fracture - weeks after French Open rival accused him of faking injury
France's No 1 ranked tennis star has pulled out of Wimbledon through injury - having been accused by a rival of not actually being injured. England's premier competition will kick off on June 30, with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic hoping for success as Alcaraz looks to defend his title. It will draw competitors from all around the world as nations pin their hopes on their top stars - but France will have to look elsewhere in the men's singles after Arthur Fils pulled out of the competition. Fils had picked up an injury last month in the French Open, withdrawing from his third round match at Roland Garos against Andrey Rublev because of a stress fracture in his back. The 21-year-old had overcome back issues to beat Jaume Munar in a four-hour and 25-minute match earlier in the week, ripping his shirt off in celebration. The next round, though, was a step too far. And he has been unable to recover in time for Wimbledon, now officially pulling out of the tournament in a major blow to his season. The star was forced to pull out of his third-round match at Roland Garros due to the injury Fils, who is currently ranked No 15 in the world, had said: 'We're going to try to see if I can be ready for Wimbledon. It's a big question mark. After that, I'm 20, I still have time on the tour, it's not the time to rush. 'On the contrary, if I can take a little more time to recover well and be ready to play the whole season on hard courts and the end of the year, that's not bad.' Spaniard Munar had accused his opponent of not actually being injured, but suffering with cramps. That was before Fils has confirmed he had been struggling with a stress fracture. 'I had some issue with the back since a long time, and during the match against Munar it gets worse,' he said. 'Then I did some exams. The exams were not good at all. Got some stress fracture. 'Yeah, whatever, we decide with the team it was better to stop now, because if I'm stopping now, I could stop for only four to six weeks. If I was pushing myself too much, I would probably stop for a couple of months.' 'It's the lower back. I got this issue a couple of times already when I was young. Yeah, L-5. So yeah, I got some issues like this in the past already.' He added: 'It's an injury that happens quite often when you are a child. It's a stress fracture injury. 'It happened to me twice. I had to wear a back brace. Then it healed. But also, my lower back is arched, so then I had a bone marrow edema. It's coming back right now. So I have to find a way to cure that and to get past that.'
NBC Sports
31-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Arthur Fils, France's last man in French Open field, has stress fracture in back
PARIS — Arthur Fils pulled out of the French Open because of a stress fracture in his lower back and could miss Wimbledon while sidelined for at least a month, he explained at a news conference Saturday. The 14th-seeded Fils, who had been the last man from France in the bracket, announced his withdrawal on Friday without offering details then about the extent of his injury. 'We decided with the team it was better to stop now, because if I'm stopping now, I could stop for only four to six weeks,' the 20-year-old Fils said Saturday. 'If I was pushing myself too much, I would probably stop for a couple of months. ... Had to make a choice.' With Fils out, No. 17 Andrey Rublev received a walkover into the fourth round. Fils had been dealing with back pain for a while, and things got worse during his five-set victory over Jaume Munar on Thursday. 'I gave everything. I couldn't go for more,' Fils said Saturday. 'At the end of the second set, I could feel that the back was not good at all.' He said he doesn't think he needs surgery. Fils knows he'll need to sit out some tournaments but said he wants to try to be able to compete at Wimbledon, the next Grand Slam tournament, which begins on June 30.
France 24
31-05-2025
- Sport
- France 24
PSG one step away from glory against Inter Milan in Champions league final
07:24 Issued on: 07:24 min Five years after losing the final in an empty stadium because of Covid's health restrictions, PSG are once again one step closer to their European dream. In a full stadium, they will be able to count on their supporters as they attempt to win their first Champions League. The city of Paris is holding its breath ahead of what could become a historic evening. As for Roland-Garros, it was a disappointing end for French fans. Arthur Fils, France's best hope in the tournament, was forced to withdraw due to injury. Meanwhile, defending champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz successfully avoided elimination. On a brighter note, Frenchman Nicolas Prodhomme delivered an impressive performance in Italy, winning the extremely challenging 19th stage of the Giro d'Italia.
Daily Mail
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jack Draper dispatches teenage sensation Joao Fonseca in straight sets to reach the last-16 of the French Open for the first time
There will come a day when Jack Draper vs Joao Fonseca blossoms into a fine rivalry. But not this day. For now, it is man against boy. The 23-year-old from London dispatched the 18-year-old from Rio de Janeiro 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the second week of the French Open for the first time. 'Joao has caught the intention of everyone, there's so much more to come from him,' said No 5 seed Draper. 'Just a bit of experience from me today. But he's got a really bright future right at the top of the game.' Draper had never won a match here before this fortnight, but his stated ambitions are far greater than breaking his duck and he is matching deed with word. In the last 16 he will be a heavy favourite, whoever wins the clash of outsiders between Alexander Bublik and Henrique Rocha. A likely quarter-final against the mighty Jannik Sinner awaits thereafter. But his focus over the last two days was squarely on Fonseca, a teenager whom everyone has pegged as a future Grand Slam champion. Draper's chances received a boost at 8.52pm on Friday night, with the news that French No 1 Arthur Fils was withdrawing with a stress fracture of the back. That triggered a chain reaction in the schedule which saw Draper v Fonseca bumped up from Court Simone Mathieu to Suzanne Lenglen. The result was a totally different atmosphere. Mathieu is only partially ticketed, so the unreserved upper tiers would have been swarming with Brazilians. Over on Lenglen, there were only a few brushstrokes of green and gold. It was not even a full house. It was hot and humid - too muggy to be chanting and hollering. Draper will have been urging himself to strike early and take the sting out of the match. There was very little sting to begin with and what venom there was he quickly extracted. As Draper secured an early break, there was a shot from Fonseca which summed up where his game is currently at. Draper whipped a solid forehand, deep and with plenty of spin. On clay, it called for Fonseca to retreat a few feet, allow the ball to drop and rebuild the rally. Instead he stepped in, took it on the half-volley and ripped it into the middle of the net. Tennis, especially on the dirt, is about knowing when to push and when to absorb; it is about respecting your opponent's shots. Fonseca plays with the disrespect of youth and that makes him thrilling to watch. It also for now, at least for the top guys, makes him rather easy to beat. And Draper is every inch a top guy these days. He dominated Fonseca in every facet of the game. Instead of avoiding the dangerous Fonseca forehand, he attacked it. The Brazilian loves to trade in the backhand corner, before stepping round and unleashing the forehand hammer. By proactively going into the forehand wing, Draper was hitting into space, and forcing Fonseca to defend on a side where he prefers to attack. In his second-round win over Gael Monfils, Draper struggled at times with the cool, slow night time conditions. In the 28 degree afternoon heat, his forehand and serve had far more zip. The drop shot was also tremendously, at times laughably, effective - Fonseca just couldn't get a read on it, often so bamboozled he stood stock still as the ball plopped over. And those two weapons were often deployed in tandem: heavy forehand down the line to push Fonseca back; wrong-footing drop shot to that same side. Clay-court mastery of which Rafael Nadal would have been proud; it is startling how quickly Draper has tapped into the cadences of this most unfamiliar surface. He displayed a tactical sophistication of which Fonseca is not yet capable. For now, the young man's results remain far short of the hype. There were so many flashes of cameraphones from the crowd that Draper asked the umpire to ask them to stop. And that speaks to the fact that, as much as people flock to Fonseca's matches to watch him, they come almost more to have watched him; to be able to say, when he lifts a 10th Grand Slam title, 'I was there when he lost to Draper on Lenglen.' If that sounds like a lot on a teenager's shoulder's, that's because it is, but Fonseca seems to be dealing with things remarkably well at the moment. His game is so impressive, just unrefined. He will surely sit at the top table one day. Draper has not taken his seat there yet either - but he is pulling up a chair and perusing the starters.
