Austrian struggled after wrist injury that affected forehand ‘I was thinking very carefully about this decision for a long time’ Dominic Thiem, the 2020 men’s US Open champion, will retire at the end of the 2024 season at the age of 31 after struggling to rediscover his old form following a career-altering wrist injury. “I have to tell you a very important, very sad but also very beautiful message,” said Thiem. “The season 2024 is gonna be my last one. I’m gonna finish my career with the end of this season. There are some reason behind it. Firstly, of course, my wrist, it’s not exa ..read more

British-grown fruit much bigger after unusual winter and spring conditions led to slower ripening Tennis fans may be treated to juicier strawberries at Wimbledon this year after a wet and dark winter slowed growing times, resulting in bigger and more flavoursome fruits. Growers said the further wet and cold weather this spring, as well as less sunlight, had delayed the British strawberry season by a fortnight, with the main harvest expected at the end of this month ..read more

Nadal recovers to defeat Zizou Bergs 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at Italian Open ‘I need to prove if I am able to push my body to the limit’ Rafael Nadal says he has reached the point where he must let go of his fear of injury and “go for everything” to see if he will be able to perform at the highest level by the time of the French Open. On Thursday afternoon Nadal’s ­competitive spirit guided him to a narrow 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Zizou Bergs, a ­Belgian qualifier, in the first round of the ­Italian Open. He now faces a significant test against Hubert Hurkacz, the seventh seed, in round two ..read more

Bulgaria’s best shares his feelings on Federer comparisons and how finding his identity on court has fuelled his resurgence Grigor Dimitrov was describing his improbable journey from humble origins in Haskovo, Bulgaria, a country with almost no men’s tennis heritage before him, to the very top levels of his sport when suddenly he paused: “I had all these comparisons with Roger [Federer] for so many years,” he said, laughing. “Thank you for not saying it. I appreciate it.” He did not have to elaborate. From the moment he emerged on the ATP Tour, armed with excellent athleticism, a large toolbox ..read more

Player takes wildcard into event week before Roland Garros Thirty-six year old plans to retire at end of the year Andy Murray is scheduled to make his return to competition from a significant ankle injury later this month at the Geneva Open. On Wednesday morning the Geneva Open announced that Murray had taken a wildcard into the ATP 250 event, which begins on 19 May, only a week before the start of the Roland Garros main draw begins in Paris ..read more

Ahead of the Italian Open, the 22-year-old reveals how he considered quitting the sport after a number of injury setbacks Over the past couple of years, at the beginning of each new tennis season, the ATP Tour charges some of its top players with predicting the year ahead. It is a bit of fun, a clever way to generate conversation and engagement, but it can also be telling. This year, on the subject of who will win their first title, Andrey Rublev was adamant: “I go with [Jack] Draper again, till he will make it. I was going with him last year, so I go with him again,” he asserted. As he chats ..read more

Kylie McKenzie says former coach abused her as teenager USTA says it intends to lodge appeal over verdict A tennis player has been awarded $9m in damages after she accused the US Tennis Association of failing to protect her from a coach she said sexually abused her at one of its training centers. The lawsuit, filed by Kylie McKenzie in March 2022 in Florida, said Anibal Aranda, who was employed by the sport’s national governing body for about seven years and later fired, used his position as a USTA coach to gain access to vulnerable female athletes and commit sexual battery against them. Mc ..read more

Despite sleepless nights struggling with a fever, Andrey Rublev found a way to fight back and win the Madrid Open for the first time. Rublev rallied to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 and in doing so clinched his second Masters 1000 title. Andrey Rublev seals recovery from slump with Madrid Open final triumph ..read more

Critics might have fallen for Luca Guadagnino’s erotic tennis romp but it’s a vapid string of disappointing choices I have spent the week and a half since seeing Challengers on the brink of throwing a racquet-trashing, expletive-scattering, McEnroe-style tantrum. Is Hawkeye working? Did they not see it? How, for an exhausting Mahut-Isner length of huffing and puffing, practically every single one of the wild swings taken by Luca Guadagnino’s film missed its target and landed out by a country mile? Four-star reviews? Five-star reviews? C’mon, fellow critics. You cannot be serious. Some points I ..read more

Russian defeats Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 Rublev: ‘I would say this is the most proud title of my career’ Andrey Rublev overcame an opening set wobble to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the final of the Madrid Open on Sunday to win his second Masters 1000 title. Auger-Aliassime was chasing his first Masters title and looked well set for victory before a resurgent Rublev, who had been struggling with a fever during the tournament, recovered to prevail in a little under three hours ..read more