ProfessionalTennis

In a surprising turn of events for the tennis world, Novak Djokovic announced on Tuesday that he had ended his coaching partnership with fellow Great Britain legend Andy Murray. The decision comes just two weeks before the start of the French Open at Roland Garros, where Djokovic has captured the title a record three times (2016, 2021, 2023). The split brings to a close a six-month collaboration that began in January, when the 37-year-old Serb recruited Murray—his fiercest on-court rival of the previous two decades—to join his coaching team. Their alliance was hailed at the time as one of the most intriguing behind-the-scenes stories in modern men’s tennis, merging two champions who had shared some of the sport’s most memorable battles.

Emma Raducanu battled through adversity to record her first ever three-match winning streak on clay, defeating Veronika Kudermetova 5-7, 6-0, 6-1 in the third round of the Italian Open at Rome’s Foro Italico. After narrowly dropping a fiercely contested opening set, the 21-year-old Briton regrouped spectacularly to dominate the remainder of the match, showcasing a blend of tactical ingenuity, mental resilience and shot-making maturity that has previously been elusive on red dirt. Her reward: a high-profile fourth-round showdown against fourth seed Coco Gauff, another rising star in the women’s game.

ROME, Italy—Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka used her post-match press conference at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia to address what she described as systemic inconsistencies in tennis’s anti-doping regime. Speaking after a straight-sets victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio, the former world No. 1 and WTA Player Council stalwart critiqued the sport’s reliance on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) framework—and signaled her willingness to consider radical reforms, including withdrawing tennis from the Olympic movement if it meant achieving more agile, tennis-specific protocols.

When Jack Draper landed in Madrid just two weeks ago, the 23-year-old British tennis star was still searching for confidence on clay. It was a surface he respected—one he believed he could eventually conquer—but to date, it had only yielded disappointment. Fast-forward to May 3, 2025, and Draper now stands on the brink of a historic triumph, booking his place in the final of the Madrid Open after a straight-sets victory over Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, 6-3, 7-6 (4), under the lights on Friday night.

Casper Ruud is back in a Masters 1000 final — and back in the Top 10 — after a gritty, high-stakes performance on Friday at the Mutua Madrid Open. The 14th-seeded Norwegian overcame a rib injury and a spirited challenge from Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo to claim a 6-4, 7-5 victory in one hour and 54 minutes, earning his spot in Sunday’s championship match at the prestigious clay-court event.

When the Mutua Madrid Open draw was finalized 10 days ago, Gabriel Diallo's name was nowhere to be found. After failing to qualify in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, the 23-year-old Canadian’s clay-court season appeared to be unraveling following a second-round qualifying loss in Madrid to Borna Coric.

Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner, the current world No. 1, has revealed he seriously contemplated walking away from professional tennis following the emotional and reputational fallout from a doping case earlier this year. Speaking ahead of his return at the Italian Open in Rome, the 22-year-old opened up for the first time about the mental toll he faced during a turbulent three-month suspension.

Australian tennis star and two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Max Purcell has accepted an 18-month suspension from professional tennis following a breach of anti-doping rules, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has announced. The ban stems not from a banned substance, but from the use of a prohibited method—specifically, receiving intravenous infusions above the allowed volume limit.