Latest news with #ElinaSvitolina
Reuters
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Monfils finds philosophy after five-set Wimbledon exit
LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Tennis showman Gael Monfils bowed out of Wimbledon in five sets on Friday — but the Frenchman was more sage than sour as he reflected on a career that has danced between the sublime and the spectacular. The 38-year-old fell 6-4 1-6 4-6 7-6(5) 6-4 to Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in a match carried over from last night, yet emerged from defeat with the perspective that comes from two decades in professional tennis and a life now enriched beyond the baseline. "I've been fortunate enough to be a tennis player in such a big sport," former top-10 player Monfils said after his exit, before recalling his first intoxicating moment on a tennis court more than 20 years ago. "A moment that stands out for me is 2004, my first Bercy (Paris Masters)," he said of playing before a raucous French crowd. "Unreal energy ... that was a special moment." While Monfils admitted he struggled with conditions when play resumed at Wimbledon on Friday after an overnight suspension, he refused to indulge in any what-ifs. "To tell you that I would have won the match is too much. I don't really know. I wish I could win this match today, but that's sport. I'm going to rest a couple of days and go back on court and try to be ready for the U.S. tour." More revealing, though, was his evolved view of the sport's place in his world. Married to fellow player Elina Svitolina and now a father, Monfils offered a refreshing take on priorities. "Tennis is part of my life, but tennis is not my life," he said. "My life outside of tennis is my real life." The Frenchman smiled when he was asked what it meant to be on the tennis tour together with Ukrainian Svitolina. "It's a tough question in a way, because you see my wife as a tennis player; I see my wife as a wife. It's completely different. But of course, it's great that we can share the same passion. I'm lucky enough to raise a child, and hopefully we'll get more someday ... just grateful every day."
CNA
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Monfils finds philosophy after five-set Wimbledon exit
LONDON :Tennis showman Gael Monfils bowed out of Wimbledon in five sets on Friday — but the Frenchman was more sage than sour as he reflected on a career that has danced between the sublime and the spectacular. The 38-year-old fell 6-4 1-6 4-6 7-6(5) 6-4 to Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in a match carried over from last night, yet emerged from defeat with the perspective that comes from two decades in professional tennis and a life now enriched beyond the baseline. "I've been fortunate enough to be a tennis player in such a big sport," former top-10 player Monfils said after his exit, before recalling his first intoxicating moment on a tennis court more than 20 years ago. "A moment that stands out for me is 2004, my first Bercy (Paris Masters)," he said of playing before a raucous French crowd. "Unreal energy ... that was a special moment." While Monfils admitted he struggled with conditions when play resumed at Wimbledon on Friday after an overnight suspension, he refused to indulge in any what-ifs. "To tell you that I would have won the match is too much. I don't really know. I wish I could win this match today, but that's sport. I'm going to rest a couple of days and go back on court and try to be ready for the U.S. tour." More revealing, though, was his evolved view of the sport's place in his world. Married to fellow player Elina Svitolina and now a father, Monfils offered a refreshing take on priorities. "Tennis is part of my life, but tennis is not my life," he said. "My life outside of tennis is my real life." The Frenchman smiled when he was asked what it meant to be on the tennis tour together with Ukrainian Svitolina. "It's a tough question in a way, because you see my wife as a tennis player; I see my wife as a wife. It's completely different. But of course, it's great that we can share the same passion. I'm lucky enough to raise a child, and hopefully we'll get more someday ... just grateful every day."
Wales Online
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Wimbledon star doesn't hold back as she comments on tournament's strict dress code
Wimbledon star doesn't hold back as she comments on tournament's strict dress code Elina Svitolina spoke about the dress code at the All England Club as she progressed to the second round of Wimbledon after a straight-sets victory over Anna Bondar Elina Svitolina spoke about the Wimbledon dress code (Image: Hannah Peters, Getty Images ) Wimbledon star Elina Svitolina has expressed her strong admiration for the championship's iconic all-white dress policy. The Ukrainian ace sailed into the second round following a commanding straight sets triumph (6-3, 6-1) over Hungary's Anna Bondar on Monday. Having made it to the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2019 and 2023, the 30-year-old is intent on advancing even further at the prestigious Grand Slam. A clear fan of the historic tennis competition, Svitolina donned a T-shirt featuring a nod to the classic strawberries and cream after her first round win at the All England Club. While former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard has previously criticised the strict dress code, which Emma Raducanu was claimed to have broken earlier this year, Svitolina has voiced her fondness for the traditional aesthetic. When quizzed by The Tennis Channel about her favourite Wimbledon tradition, Svitolina didn't hesitate. "The dress code, I love dressing up in white," she declared. "You know, being so classy. It's iconic. I love my outfit this year and it just looks so perfect, so beautiful. When you look around, everyone is so classy. Yeah, I just really love this tradition." Wimbledon has long-standing all-white clothing rules, dating back to the 1880s when visible sweat stains were deemed unseemly. All competitors are required to wear almost entirely white attire, which has already led to outfit changes at this year's tournament. Article continues below Svitolina is a fan of the all-white dress code (Image:) An exception is granted for female players who can wear dark undershorts as long as they are not longer than their shorts or skirt. According to Wimbledon's official guidelines, the all-white dress code does not permit off-white or cream clothing. A coloured trim around the neckline or sleeves is acceptable, provided it is no wider than one centimetre. Shoes must also be white, including laces and soles, and the same regulations apply to caps, headbands, bandanas, wristbands and socks. In 2022, the All England Club announced that female players could wear darker undershorts. However, Bouchard, a Wimbledon finalist in 2014, shared her experiences of the stress faced by female players on their period before the rule was implemented. "Unfortunately we cannot plan our own tennis matches, that is something completely out of our control, Bouchard told the Not Alone podcast with Valeria Lipovetsky in 2024. "The tournament decides the schedule and when you play, so there's no chance for that at all. I've definitely experienced really bad period cramps, pain, and I remember having that the day before the US Open in New York. Bouchard spoke about the problems with the previous Wimbledon dress code (Image: GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images ) "And I was like, 'Thank god this is just a practice day today, because if I had to play my match today it would be really hard.' I did play right away the next day so it wasn't the best but it's just something we have to deal with. We cannot control the schedule so it's just luck. "And I know some of the girls on tour also get a little worried when it comes to Wimbledon because you have to wear white. So it just makes you a little more self-conscious if you're... you know. 'It's tough, but now they've changed the rules where you can wear like a different-coloured undergarment – so your ball shorts under the dress can be a different colour. But that's a super-recent rule." Article continues below In contrast, Svitolina embraced the current dress code during her opening victory, donning white Adidas attire with a green trim on her neckline and cap, as she triumphed over Bodnar. She is set to face Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the next round.
The Independent
27-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Why these underdogs can stun Wimbledon's biggest stars once again
Tatjana Maria 's run to the Queen's title two weeks ago was not just a fairytale. It was also a reminder of the unpredictability of women's tennis, most of all on grass. On a surface that rewards huge serves and power-hitters, Maria's win was a reminder that slice, craft and guile have their place too. Is Wimbledon really that much of an outlier among the majors? One fact frequently trotted out is that the last eight Wimbledons have gone the way of eight different players. But that says more about the era of women's tennis that we are in than anything specific to SW19. For context, of the last eight times the other three slams have been contested, there have been six Australian Open, five French Open, and eight US Open champions. You'd have to go back 11 years to find a repeat winner in New York: Serena Williams, on a run of three titles. Perhaps it's more that, as Maria showed, a variety of gamestyles can thrive on the turf. There's an element of the sudden turnaround from clay, too, as the blink-and-you-miss-it three-week buildup to Wimbledon throws some off-kilter. Whatever the reason, there's always an element of magic in the Wimbledon women's draw. It could be anyone's year. How to narrow the contenders down? Grass suits the ferocity and pace of Madison Keys' groundstrokes. 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini has not reached the same heights as last season, but has consolidated her place in the world's top four and reached a doubles final on the grass in Berlin. Elina Svitolina is a consistent force at all majors; Amanda Anisimova has shown repeated flashes of her brilliance this year, including a run to the Queen's final. The last three champions – Barbora Krejcikova, Marketa Vondrousova, and Elena Rybakina – have all endured difficult spells since lifting the trophy, dogged by injuries and poor form. A new thigh issue for Krejcikova, which cropped up in Eastbourne, may be fatal for her chances. But Vondrousova's immaculate grass-court game was apparent as she sealed the Berlin title last week. Rybakina has had an indifferent couple of years, but her clean, destructive groundstrokes are hard to top on grass. Coco Gauff is the form pick, reaching three straight finals across the clay-court swing and winning a maiden Roland-Garros title earlier this month. Wimbledon was her breakout tournament, when she reached the fourth round as a fresh-faced 15-year-old all the way back in 2019. She has since gone further at every other major, but grass remains a surface she thrives on. A first-round exit in her first grass-court tournament is likely to be no more than a blip; not everyone can be Carlos Alcaraz. She has proven herself against all her likely opponents, her relentless defence fracturing Aryna Sabalenka 's peerless offence in Paris. What feels more significant is her own, renewed faith in her ability. Who knows – she may have manifested a Wimbledon title too. Sabalenka herself is, as ever, a serious contender. The Belarusian has reached the final in six of the last nine majors she has contested, and her huge game is well-suited to grass. But cracks have crept into her game, and her mind, in the last few months. She was open about how crushing her Australian Open final defeat was; Roland-Garros seemed to only magnify that, as she ranted and railed at her box, and as she hit harder and harder, trying to punch through Gauff, her game completely unravelled. The 27-year-old has been vocal about the work she has done to iron out her serving yips and self-doubt. Over the last half-season, those issues have reared their heads again. She has now lost three slam finals in a row, and lead by a set in two. Sometimes it seems that she is her own worst enemy on court. And what of Iga Swiatek? The Pole dropped out of the world's top two this May for the first time since 2022, and has now slid further down to world No 8. She has not won a title since the 2024 French Open; she has not even reached a final. Defeat in the last four at Roland Garros this year – including a 6-0 collapse in the final set, when her self-belief seemed to melt away entirely – was a real nadir. But that means that things can't, really, get any worse for the 24-year-old. She has had a positive start to her grass-court season, reaching the quarter-finals at the Bad Homburg Open. It is not a surface that has historically agreed with her, but she was Wimbledon girls' champion in 2018, so a run of form on the turf is not out of the question. She heads to SW19 in the rare position of being an underdog. Perhaps the comparative lack of pressure on her shoulders will now allow her to swing freely. Recent history suggests that is the way to win. It has frequently been an outsider who lifts the Venus Rosewater Dish, but not a totally unheralded name – Vondrousova was just the first unseeded player to win the title. So three years on from her run to the semi-finals, could it be Tatjana Maria's time?
Qatar Tribune
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Haddad Maia outlasts Svitolina in Bad Homburg Open thriller
Frankfurt: Unseeded Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia edged out seventh seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) in an enthralling last 16 clash on the Bad Homburg grass on Wednesday. Haddad Maia, who converted her fifth match point after 2 hours and 27 minutes of their first ever meeting, will face second seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini in the last eight on Thursday. Paolini is last year's Wimbledon runner-up and is honing her game ahead of the London grass grand slam beginning on Monday. Eighth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova beat Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3 in the tournament near Frankfurt and next meets fourth seed Iga Swiatek, who won in the last 16 on Tuesday. Top seed Jessica Pegula takes on fellow American Emma Navarro, who was also already through having defeated Naomi Osaka on Tuesday, in Thursday's quarters. The final last-eight clash will involve Linda Noskova after she progressed on Wednesday. (DPA)
