7:43 AM ET NOVAK DJOKOVIC IS looking for something. It is Orthodox Easter Sunday in Belgrade. Djokovic is playing the final of the Serbia Open, a crowd of 8,000-plus bellowing behind him. Down one set to Andrey Rublev of Russia, he rallies back in the second to force a tiebreak. But late in the set,
Tennis
7:00 AM ET Rafael Nadal has moved to ease concerns about his injury problems ahead of the French Open, posting a picture of himself training in full flow at his academy in Mallorca with the caption: “See you on Wednesday, Paris.” The 13-time Roland Garros champion had said last week that daily training was a
10:50 AM ET Associated Press PARIS — Gael Monfils said on Monday that he has withdrawn from the upcoming French Open because of an injury to his right heel that will require minor surgery. Monfils, France’s highest-ranked player at No. 22, said he has been hampered by the lesion in his foot since the Monte
5:33 AM ET Britain’s former junior Wimbledon champion and Olympic mixed doubles silver medallist Laura Robson announced her retirement on Monday due to persistent injury problems. A former world No. 27, Robson lifted the junior crown at the grasscourt Grand Slam as a 14-year-old in 2008 and followed up her success with an Olympic medal
11:42 AM ET Associated Press GENEVA — Watching the recent news from Ukraine is “very upsetting,” No. 2-ranked tennis player Daniil Medvedev said Sunday of the war that led Wimbledon organizers to ban him and other Russians from their tournament. The US Open champion spoke at the Geneva Open, where he returns to action after
12:04 PM ET Associated Press ROME — Just in time. Novak Djokovic raised his first trophy of the year at the Italian Open on Sunday and showed that he is back in top form exactly a week before the French Open starts. After missing a large portion of the season because he wasn’t vaccinated against
8:47 AM ET Associated Press ROME — Iga Swiatek is going into the French Open on quite a run. The top-ranked Swiatek overwhelmed Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-2 to defend her Italian Open title Sunday and extend her winning streak to 28 matches. Swiatek was a surprise champion at the French Open in 2020 when she
11:57 AM ET Associated Press ROME — Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his first Italian Open final by rallying past Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday. Tsitsipas has been pushed to three sets in three of his four matches this week, having also overcome local favorite Jannik Sinner in straight sets in the quarterfinals. Tsitsipas has
5:31 PM ET Associated Press PARIS — Eighth-ranked Matteo Berrettini withdrew from the upcoming French Open as he continues his recovery from surgery on his right hand. The Italian announced in late March that he was having minor surgery. On Saturday, he said on social media that that he’s making good progress but not quite
8:17 AM ET Associated Press ROME — Not since Serena Williams seven years ago has another woman had such a hot streak in tennis. Top-ranked Iga Swiatek routed Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 6-1 on Saturday to extend her winning streak to 27 matches and reach the Italian Open final. Williams won the same number of consecutive
6:16 PM ET ESPN News Services ROME — It was just the type of scrambling, wear-down-the-opponent mentality and shot-making that took Novak Djokovic to within one match of a calendar-year Grand Slam in 2021. A spectacle that was missing for so much of this year when Djokovic didn’t play because he wasn’t vaccinated against the
11:41 AM ET Associated Press ROME — If there were any lingering questions about who is the new dominant force in women’s tennis, Iga Swiatek put that to rest with a 7-6 (2), 6-0 victory over 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu on Friday to reach the Italian Open semifinals and extend her winning streak
1:22 PM ET ESPN News Services Top-ranked Novak Djokovic faced little resistance Thursday at the Italian Open, posting a 6-2, 6-2 win over Stan Wawrinka, who was playing only his second tournament after undergoing two surgeries on his left foot. Djokovic needed just 1 hour, 14 minutes to finish off the match. Djokovic, a five-time
10:00 AM ET Associated Press ROME — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek was tested before pulling out a 6-4, 6-1 victory over former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka to reach the Italian Open quarterfinals on Thursday and extend her winning streak to 25 matches. Azarenka took a 3-0 lead before Swiatek won five straight games in a grueling
1:26 AM ET Associated Press PARIS — Elina Svitolina can vividly recall her struggles as an anxious young player on the international tennis circuit, and is now campaigning for better mental health protection for juniors starting out in their careers. The former No.3-ranked Svitolina remembers how tough the weight of expectation was, the loneliness and
3:27 PM ET Associated Press PARIS — Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina wants Russian and Belarusian players to say whether they oppose the war in her nation. “For us, for Ukrainians, it’s very important that they speak out, that they choose which side they take. We want to know, we want to feel safe about
12:21 PM ET Jeremy WillisESPN.com Which athletes are making the most money? For 2022, it’s Los Angeles Lakers star/media mogul LeBron James who made $126.9 million in the last year according to research done by the sports business publication Sportico. The 37-year-old James takes over the top spot from MMA fighter Conor McGregor. James is
1:09 PM ET Naomi Osaka has left IMG to start her own agency, she told Sportico. Osaka’s sports agency, Evolve, will be stylized in all capital letters as EVOLVE. She is forming the agency with agent Stuart Duguid, who also is leaving IMG. Osaka’s contract with IMG expired at the end of last year and