ATP
Chris a winner? Eu bet he is
HE’S the new hero of men’s tennis in the US, and tipped to go deep in New York next month, but can Christopher Eubanks live up to the growing media hype and deliver?
Eubanks, no youngster at 27, has had a remarkable 2023 season, rising to a lofty No.29 in the ATP rankings – a year ago he wasn’t even in the top 120.
A great run at the Miami Open, where he reached the quarter-finals, a maiden ATP title in Mallorca and a magical appearance at Wimbledon, where he beat fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the round of 16.
Now he is being tipped for more success, with many saying he’s the ‘dark horse’, easily capable of making the last four at the US Open next month.
After his Wimbledon success he said “All of this gives me a lot of confidence in my ability to compete with some of the best in the world, which maybe wasn’t clear to me a few years ago.
“I’m enjoying the journey, we’ll see where my career takes me, I want to keep working as hard as I’ve done so far.
I’m probably having the most fun playing tennis so I’ll try to keep that momentum going and see where it takes me.”
Eubanks has credited his rise to last year’s US Open, where he beat Pedro Martinez to earn a main draw win, having entered as a qualifier.
“A lot of it kind of started I would say a little bit last year, kind of getting the burden I felt like off my shoulders of never having a Grand Slam win, and I got my first one in at the US Open,” he said.
“I told friends of mine, I said, ‘All right, now I actually feel like a pro.’ Because I felt like for years there were guys who maybe were ranked lower than me at the time but hit third round US Open, or had gotten Grand Slam wins under their belt, and I think I might have been, like, 0-5 or 0-6.”
“Getting my first win under the belt, and then things just kind of started to grow a little bit … and it’s grown a little bit ever since then.
A seed possibly this year? Maybe, and what a story that is. He could well be everyone’s ‘second favourite’ in New York – a place where local partisan support will be loud and in his corner.
ECO-CLOWNS disrupted Andy Murray’s marathon match against Taylor Fritz in Washington on Friday, launching giant tennis balls, pictured below, onto the court before they were escorted from the event by security.
Waving a banner and shouting, the protest was the latest this summer across many sporting events.
Last month Wimbledon suffered from similar protests.
Despite the distraction, Murray had break points for a 4-2 lead in the deciding set before Fritz fought back to take the points to wrap up a win.
IGA Swiatek’s first practice session in Montreal has sparked interest after the world Np.1 wore tape on her mouth.
The Pole was caught with tape on her mouth during a session – a system to improve nasal breathing, allowing for more efficient oxygen intake.
Nasal breathing is also linked to oxygen transmission to key muscles in the body and leads to better performance.
In hot conditions, as New York will likely be, breathing problems can be a problem for players.
WORLD No.1 Carlos Alcaraz has warned fans about scammers asking for money to meet him.
Alcaraz last week issued a warning after discovering con men pretended to be his representatives and asked for money in exchange for meeting him.
In an Instagram story posted on Thursday, Alcaraz wrote:
“It has been brought to my attention that there are individuals who are falsely claiming to represent me and offer fans to meet with me if they pay.
“My team and I are not behind any of this soliciting, nor do I participate in meetings like this! My fans are the best and I am saddened that individuals are trying to take advantage of them.”
SHE’S back… but for how long? That’s the question the tennis world is asking, after Emma Raducanu took her first steps back onto the court last week after months away with injury and then surgery on an ankle and wrist.
The 2021 US Open champion, yes, remember that, posted pictures of herself at the National Tennis Centre in the UK.
Raducanu’s last practice was on April 25 at the Madrid Open. Then followed a media interview which lasted less than a minute. We remember that as well.
Anxious and frustrated that attempts to resolve wrist problems, she announced her withdrawal from the event and then came news she be undergoing surgery.
Raducanu posted on Wednesday a video of herself on court with former British No.1 Kyle Edmund, spotted using a soft Wilson ball that is oversized and used by beginners.
‘August2nd. The fun part. 1st time back on court,’ she posted.
Since surgery Raducanu a has become a globetrotter as she recovers, sharing images of herself in Mexico, Paris and Greece.
Raducanu, who is currently looking for another coach after splitting with German Sebastian Sachs recently, is now ranked outside the top 150.
What a difference two years makes.
BOSNIAN tennis coach Robert Biletic has been banned from tennis for six months after breaking Tennis Anti-Corruption Program rules.
In 2021, Biletic was tournament director at an ITF 25k event and offered a player wildcard entry into the event in exchange for money.
The unknown player reported Biletic to the International Tennis Integrity Agency for investigation.
As part of the ban, Biletic cannot attend, enter or spectate at any ATP, WTA, or ITF event.
NOVAK Djokovic is enjoying a break from tennis before heading for the New York and the US Open.
And Djokovic has a new image – a beard – which has cased mixed feelings among supporters.
“Novak with a mustache and a beard. He doesn’t look like he’s hiding at all, he often wears a cap and glasses,” one said.
“A break from shaving, huh? My husband says it’s a nuisance. Will he shave before leaving for America? What do you guys think? Yes or no?,” asked another.
The comment that caught everyone’s attention was the one comparing Novak to Lionel Messi.
“He is more handsome with a beard, he looks like Messi in his ‘beard mode’. It would be good if he kept it for good and never shaved it,” another said.
Others added that “he is on vacation” and that “shaving is not a priority.”
UNBELIEVABLE… or just a PR gimmick?
Naomi Osaka announced last week she now likes journalists.
During an interview with Mountaintop Conversations Osaka said: “Sometimes I say stuff that I shouldn’t say in the press room, and it often gets me into trouble.
“But it’s because I like journalists, I don’t think they know this but I like talking to them and I like clearing their questions and for me, it’s cool that someone cares enough about me to ask me questions like that.”
She then recalled the French Open controversy.
“But slowly as I started becoming more known, there have been people that I feel their energy is to exploit. So I felt myself becoming more closed-off and I felt my character changing and I didn’t really like that,” she said.
“So at this point when I was thinking ‘I need to take a break, but I can’t take a break from it because then I’ll get fined’.
But then I thought I’d rather take the fine than go through that with my energy.”
At the 2021 French Open, Osaka refused to attend the press conferences, citing mental health concerns. The tournament slapped a $15,000 fine on the Japanese player.
IS there no civility left in tennis?
At the DC Open in Washington last week, Bianca Bianca Andreescu encountered an unwanted hindrance and refused to play before a heckler was removed from the arena.
Andreescu, who was playing Marta Kostyuk, was verbally harassed by the heckler when she missed a serve, cheering and shouting ‘out’.
The Canadian then replied to the man, screaming ‘shut up’ and refusing to play until security removed him.
Security was called to remove the man from the stadium.
Where has decent fan etiquette gone?
AND finally … a touching moment between Andy Murray and a fan in Washington last week.
Alexander Zverev took a further step towards a defence of his 2025 title at the ATP Munich event with a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 hammering of Canada’s Gabriel Diallo on Thursday.
The German who won his only title of 2025 in his home nation faced an opponent carrying an injury in the 73-minute loss.
“I think he had some issues with his back and wasn’t serving fully in the second set anymore. Very unfortunate,” the 28-year-old world No. 3 said.
“Of course I am happy with the win and getting an easier match today.”
After days of cold weather, the spring sun finally made an appearance in the Bavarian capital.
Zverev advanced the the last eight with five breaks of serve and will bid fro a return to the semi-finals against fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo, a winner over Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-0.
“I played well from the baseline. I probably didn’t serve well in the first set, but it got better in the second. I am trying to improve every day,” the winner said as he reached a second straight quarter-final here..
Zverev has won their last four meetings.
“I’ve never beaten him on clay, which is his favourite surface, but I am definitely looking forward to the challenge,” Zverev said.
“I’m very happy to be at this stage, facing a tough opponent. That’s what it’s going to be tomorrow.”
Main photo:- Alexander Zverev with his 2025 Munich trophy
Roland Garros will continue to buck the trend of electronic linecalling, with Grand Slam tournament boss Amelie Mauresmo laying down the law on Thursday in Paris.
Unlike the other three majors which have sent teams of line judges into early retirement, the clay major will stick with the tried and true for another edition beginning on May 24.
In addition to tradition, the skid marks left on the dirt by ball makes determining in or out subjective enough to often require a keen eye.
“They are not 100% reliable,” Mauresmo said of the electronic systems currently in use.“Our decision was to stick to our way.”
But the former WTA No. 1 suddenly flipped the script when it comes to the controversial suggestion that women should play best-of-five-sets at the four majors just like the men.
The idea has drawn scorn from top women, but that does not dissuade Mauresmo.
“You can’t change a format overnight to go from best of three to best of five. But if we think about it, would it be only the semifinal, the final, or for all matches?” the former Wimbledon champion said.
“This could be a win-win situation but we have to talk about this with the women players.”
The Wimbledon winner admitted that she had often yearned during her playing days for longer contests.
“When I did the Masters (season-ending) final ( 2005) I would have wanted to do the final in best of five. So maybe one day, you never know.”
The former player would not be drawns out on the dreaded night matches at Roland Garros, formerly a fully daytinem event.
“We will talk about scheduling when the time comes,” she said.“Nothing is closed and nothing is set in stone, it depends on the draws and the lineups.”
Also on the table are likely to be the distribution of night matches, with women barely registering in the night-tiem hours during the 2025 edition.
On the final Saturday there has been one change: The men’s doubles final will be played before the women’s singles final and not afterward.
“We will talk about scheduling when the time comes,” the TD said. “Nothing is closed and nothing is set in stone, it depends on the draws and the lineups.”
In the continuing prize money arms race among the four Grand Slams, Roland Garros announced a rise to a global USD 72 million in player payouts, a rise of USD 6.25 million.
Carlos Alcaraz quit the Barcelona Open with a wrist injury and cast serious doubt on his fitness and availability for run-up events prior to next month’s French Open.
The Spaniard who lost his No. 1 ranking to Jannik Sinner through Sunday’s loss to the Italian in the Monte Carlo Casters final was unable to carry on at his home event in Barcelona.
Alcaraz quit the clay event prior to his second-round match against Tomas Machac. The Spaniard injured his wrist in a first-round win over Finn Otto Virtanen and warned that he could make no solid commitment yet to furue play due to his injury.
“It’s with great sadness I have to go back home to start my recovery as soon as possible with my team, with the doctors, with the physio, and try to be as healthy as possible as soon as possible for (future) tournaments,” he said.
“Let’s hope, that you can see me back on a tennis court as soon as possible.”
Alcaraz is now touch and go for the Madrid Masters oddly starting in a week next Wednesday as the ATP stretches out the Masters events in an unpopular money-spinning exercise.
Alcarraz could face a serious hit to his ranking if he cannot front up in the Spanish capital and next month in Rome, with titles to defend in both venues.
“But I’ve seen today’s tests, and it’s a slightly more serious injury than we all expected.
“In the end I have to listen to my body, what won’t affect me later on: That’s why I have to withdraw from this tournament.
“I never like to withdraw from any tournament, but especially from this one,”
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