PARIS: Andy Murray’s trophy-filled career came to an end at the Paris Olympics on Thursday as another chapter closed on tennis’s golden generation.
The former world number one and three-time Grand Slam title winner slipped into retirement when he and Dan Evans were defeated in the men’s doubles quarter-finals.
American pair Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul delivered the knockout blow with a 6-2, 6-4 victory on a packed Court Suzanne Lenglen.
The 37-year-old Murray had already announced that the Olympics would be his last event.
One of the ‘Big Four’ in the sport, Murray joins 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer in retirement after the Swiss great quit in 2022.
Rafael Nadal, the winner of 22 majors but battling more injuries at the age of 38, exited the Paris Olympics on Wednesday and suggested that he had played his last match at Roland Garros where he won 14 of his Slams.
Nadal also effectively ruled himself out of the US Open, sparking more speculation that the great Spaniard is also finished in the sport.
That would leave just 37-year-old Novak Djokovic, the winner of a record 24 Grand Slams, still active among the sport’s eminent talents who have carved up 69 majors between them.
Murray famously ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s champion at Wimbledon when he triumphed in 2013, defeating career-long rival Djokovic in the final.
He added a second title in 2016, taking his career majors total to three after breaking his duck at the 2012 US Open.
Murray won gold at the 2012 Olympics on an emotional day at the All England Club when he defeated Federer just weeks after he had lost the Wimbledon final to the Swiss on the same Center Court.
Four years later, he defeated Juan Martin del Potro to become the first player, male or female, to win two Olympic singles golds.
Murray also led Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015, the country’s first in 79 years.
He has won 46 titles in all and banked around $65 million in prize money.
However, he has been ravaged by injuries in recent years, slumping to 117th in the world.
The Scot has played with a metal hip since 2019 and suffered ankle damage earlier this year before undergoing surgery to remove a spinal cyst, which ruled him out of singles at Wimbledon.
Instead, he played doubles with brother Jamie and was defeated in the first round before an emotional tribute arranged by tournament chiefs.
“It’s hard because I would love to keep playing but I can’t,” admitted Murray at the All England Club.
“Physically it is too tough now, all of the injuries, they have added up and they haven’t been insignificant.”
Men’s tennis has already opened up a new frontier.
Jannik Sinner, the 22-year-old Italian, succeeded Djokovic as Australian Open champion in January and eventually took his world number one ranking.
Carlos Alcaraz, 21, won the French Open and successfully defended his Wimbledon title, sweeping Djokovic off court in a one-sided final in July.
Murray’s career ends in Olympic Games defeat
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Murray’s career ends in Olympic Games defeat
- The former world number one and three-time Grand Slam title winner slipped into retirement when he and Dan Evans were defeated in the men’s doubles quarter-finals
- The 37-year-old Murray had already announced that the Olympics would be his last event
Game On: Garbine Muguruza champions ‘gigantic’ WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia
- As the world’s top female players gear up for Riyadh, the tournament director envisions bright future for tennis in the Middle East
RIYADH: As the Kingdom’s capital gears up for the highly anticipated WTA Finals this November, the tournament’s director and former world No. 1 Garbine Muguruza believes the event will be “gigantic” for tennis in the country and region.
In an interview with Arab News recently, she said the contest, which will feature some of the world’s top female tennis players, will showcase the power of sport to inspire and unite people.
“I’m very excited that we can bring this gigantic tournament to Saudi Arabia,” she said, noting the significance of introducing this premier event in a region that is still becoming acquainted with the sport at the highest level.
The WTA Finals is regarded as one of the crown jewels of women’s tennis.
Muguruza, who has experience working in the Middle East, said: “This is going to make such an impact for the kids, for the next generation.”
She praised the Saudi Tennis Federation and the broader sports community for the work they are doing. “They’re bringing exhibitions, next-gen (tournaments), and now the finals,” said Muguruza.
She said the focus on community engagement — through several clinics and coaching sessions — was vital for fostering local talent. The ultimate aim is to have 1 million tennis players in the country.
“Every time I do it, there’s more people,” she said.
“They’re doing a great job letting them dream and giving them the options to do it,” she said, recalling her own journey to the top of the sport.
“Why not dream, right? Like I dreamt when I was little to one day be the world No. 1, you know?”
Muguruza’s dual perspective as both a former elite player and a tournament director enriches her approach. “I can tell what the players could need, what to expect. How can we get the crowd excited,” she said.
As she reflected on the evolution of tennis in the Kingdom, Muguruza acknowledged the strides being made, particularly among young female players.
Witnessing Saudi Arabia’s Haniya Minhas compete at Wimbledon this year in the under-14 category was a poignant moment for her.
“I felt great because I’m like, ‘wow, you see, finally we have a representation,’” she said.
“We see every country has their timing, has their step,” Muguruza added.
Sabalenka wins 15th match in a row to reach Beijing quarters
- The US Open champion will face Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic or Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the last eight in Beijing
BEIJING: Top seed Aryna Sabalenka won her 15th match in a row to power into the China Open quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Madison Keys on Wednesday.
The US Open champion will face Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic or Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the last eight in Beijing.
World number two Sabalenka has won more matches on tour this season than anyone else and extended her red-hot streak with a fairly routine victory over the 24th-ranked American.
On a sunny Beijing day, Sabalenka and Keys exchanged breaks in the first set for 3-3 before the hard-hitting Belarusian pulled away go a set up.
The second took a similar course and Keys double-faulted on the first match point to gift Sabalenka victory in 65 minutes.
Sabalenka is on a collision course in the semifinals with China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who faces 43rd-ranked Amanda Anisimova in the last 16 later Wednesday.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka can take a major step toward overhauling Iga Swiatek at the top of the rankings by lifting the title in Beijing.
Swiatek is not playing in the Chinese capital because of “personal matters.”
Sinner to play Alcaraz in China Open final; Osaka out with back injury
- Sinner and Alcaraz accounted for all four Grand Slam titles this year between them
- Arthur Fils saved a championship point and rallied to beat Ugo Humbert 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 in the final of the Japan Open
BEIJING: Top-ranked Jannik Sinner will play rival Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the China Open after recording a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory over home favorite Bu Yunchaokete on Tuesday.
Sinner and Alcaraz accounted for all four Grand Slam titles this year between them. Alcaraz leads the head-to-head series 5-4 — including wins at both their meetings this year — but Sinner doesn’t believe that recent history will have a bearing on Wednesday’s final.
“We know each other very well now, but every match is different, so the situation on the court is also a bit different than it was the last two matches,” Sinner said.
The 23-year-old Italian is the defending champion and hasn’t appeared distracted by the World Anti-Doping Agency announcing Saturday it was seeking a ban of one to two years for the US Open champion, who tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March.
Chinese wild card Yunchaokete, ranked 96th, couldn’t take any of his three break-point chances in the first set.
Sinner’s experience proved crucial during the pivotal moments, especially in the second-set tiebreaker, where he surged to a 6-1 lead.
Earlier, third-ranked Alcaraz’s athleticism was again on show as he advanced to the final with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Daniil Medvedev.
“I felt great on the court once again, so I’m really happy about it,” Alcaraz said. “I couldn’t ask for a better semifinal.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion — including this year’s French Open and Wimbledon — extended his head-to-head record against the Russian to 6-2.
The 21-year-old Spaniard found his way through a testing first set that had five breaks of serve, but crucially it was Alcaraz’s third service break in the 12th game that secured the set.
Alcaraz has now won eight straight matches — across the Davis Cup, Laver Cup and in Beijing — since his loss to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round at the US Open.
Osaka out with back injury
Coco Gauff advanced to the quarterfinals when Naomi Osaka retired at 3-6, 6-4 because of a lower back injury.
Osaka, a four-time major champion, was leading 4-3 in the second set before Gauff won three straight games.
The sixth-ranked Gauff then helped carry Osaka’s bags off the court.
Gauff hit six aces compared to Osaka’s one and improved to 3-2 over her opponent at WTA tournaments.
She will next meet No. 115-ranked Yuliia Starodubtseva, who earlier upset No. 14 Anna Kalinskaya 7-5, 6-0.
Paula Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula to reach her eighth career quarterfinal at a WTA 1000-level event.
“She’s one the of the players I never want to face — she’s very solid, hits very flat, changes very well direction,” said Badosa, who was 0-3 previously against Pegula. “I prepared myself for a battle, but I think today everything worked pretty well.”
Badosa next faces 35-year-old Chinese player Zhang Shuai, who continued her resurgence with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Magdalena Frech of Poland.
Zhang entered the China Open on a 24-match losing streak and ranked No. 595, but she’s yet to drop a set in four matches this week.
Zhang is now into her first women’s tour quarterfinal since Tokyo in 2022, and her first at a WTA 1000 tournament since Cincinnati in the same year.
“In this draw, everyone has a higher ranking than me,” Zhang said. “Just step on court, just play. So I do not have much to think about, to prepare. I will just focus on myself.”
Japan Open
Arthur Fils saved a championship point and rallied to beat Ugo Humbert 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 in the final of the Japan Open to earn his third tour-level title.
The championship point was in the second-set tiebreaker against his French compatriot.
The 20-year-old Fils struggled with an injury to his left leg for much of the second set and when trailing 4-3 in the second set — with three break points for his opponent — it looked almost certain that Humbert would go on to win his seventh final in seven appearances.
Fils defeated four top-20 opponents — US Open finalist Taylor Fritz, defending champion Ben Shelton, Holger Rune and Humbert — on his way to the title.
Zhang Shuai ‘feels like Nadal’ after making more Beijing history
- Zhang Shuai had not won a singles match in more than 600 days when she arrived at the prestigious WTA 1000 event in Beijing last week
BEIJING: Zhang Shuai said she “felt like Rafa Nadal” after the home player ranked 595th powered into the last 16 to extend her historic China Open run on Sunday.
The 35-year-old wildcard had not won a singles match in more than 600 days when she arrived at the prestigious WTA 1000 event in Beijing last week.
Her run of 24 straight defeats was the longest such barren spell on tour since Madeleine Pegel lost her first 29 matches in 1968-1972.
Shuai, a two-time Grand Slam singles quarter-finalist who has been plagued by injuries, has now won three matches in a row after a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of Belgium’s Greet Minnen.
Shuai, who faced Minnen as the lowest-ranked player to reach the China Open third round in the tournament’s history, faces Poland’s 23rd seed Magdalena Frech next.
“I had a long, long, long time not getting this feeling,” said the former top-25 player Shuai, who has won two Grand Slam doubles titles.
“When I play my best I can win a lot of matches, I know that ... I just want to keep it simple, keep going and keep winning.”
Shuai snapped her losing run on Wednesday when she beat 65th-ranked American McCartney Kessler 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/1).
She then stunned US Open semifinalist Emma Navarro 6-4, 6-2 to reach round three and a meeting with 94th-ranked Minnen.
Shuai was on course for a third win in a row when she took the first set and went up a break in the second, only to relinquish the advantage immediately when the 27-year-old Minnen broke back.
As the match ticked past the hour mark, Shuai emerged from a gripping seventh game to break once more for 4-3, then held for 5-3 to put the next round within reach.
Shuai hails from Tianjin, near to Beijing, and said she felt very much at home on the hard courts of the Chinese capital.
So at home in fact that she compared herself jokingly to the Spanish great Nadal on his favorite surface of the French Open.
“When I am on the court I feel so like Rafa Nadal on Court Philippe-Chatrier,” she laughed
“When you’re losing, maybe everybody wants to play against you ... Now nobody wants to play against you.”
Meanwhile, four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz said Sunday that the steroid case involving Jannik Sinner was “not good” for tennis but sympathized with the world No. 1.
The World Anti-Doping Agency on Saturday said it had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after Sinner was cleared of wrongdoing last month.
WADA is seeking a ban of up to two years after the Italian twice tested positive for traces of the banned substance clostebol in March.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency subsequently accepted Sinner’s explanation that the drug entered his system when his physiotherapist used a spray containing it to treat a cut, then provided massage and sports therapy to the player.
Alcaraz, the Spanish world No. 3, said at the China Open: “I think for tennis it’s not really good, not really a good sign for tennis in general.”
There has been skepticism among some players about Sinner’s explanation for why he failed the two tests, but Alcaraz took a more sympathetic stance.
“It is difficult for him. I know everyone is talking about it, the news is talking about it,” he said, having reached the last eight in Beijing.
Nadal, Alcaraz and Sinner in Davis Cup finals teams
- French Open and Wimbledon winner Alcaraz will be Spain’s key figure as they bid to win the competition dubbed the World Cup of tennis for the first time since 2019
- US Open and Australian Open champion Sinner is part of Italy’s squad for the finals, which start on Nov. 19
BARCELONA: Spain named 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in a five-man Davis Cup team on Monday, while Italian world No. 1 Jannik Sinner will also compete in the final eight in Malaga.
Nadal, 38, pulled out of the US Open and Laver Cup in recent months and has only taken part in one of the last seven Grand Slams because of injury and fitness struggles.
French Open and Wimbledon winner Alcaraz will be Spain’s key figure as they bid to win the competition dubbed the World Cup of tennis for the first time since 2019, starting with a clash against the Netherlands.
Alcaraz inspired Team Europe to Laver Cup victory over Team World last weekend in Berlin.
US Open and Australian Open champion Sinner is part of Italy’s squad for the finals, which start on Nov. 19.
The 23-year-old was crucial as Italy triumphed last year, beating Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic twice in one day, first in singles and then in doubles, in the semifinals.
Italy, who face Argentina in their quarterfinal clash, beat Australia in the 2023 final to win the competition for the first time since 1976.
