CNN — Ukrainian tennis player Anhelina Kalinina refused to shake hands with Veronika Kudermetova, her Russian opponent, following the former’s victory in the semifinals of the Rome Masters in Italy on Friday. Speaking to reporters after the match at Foro Italico, Rome, Kalinina said, “We didn’t shake hands because the girl is from Russia basically….
CNN — Novak Djokovic’s preparations for the French Open took another blow on Wednesday as the world No. 1 was beaten by Holger Rune in the Italian Open quarterfinals. The 20-year-old Rune prevailed in wet conditions as rain continues to affect play in Rome, winning 6-2 4-6 6-2 to earn his second consecutive victory over…
CNN — Venus Williams rolled back the years with a vintage performance to secure her first win against a top-20 player in four years. The 43-year-old Williams defeated Russian Veronika Kudermetova 6-4 7-5 in the first round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Monday. Kudermetova is seeded 16th in the tournament and…
CNN — It wasn’t too long ago that Coco Gauff exploded onto the scene as a 15-year-old, defeating Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019. But time marches on and it was Gauff who was the experienced player on court on Saturday as she defeated 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva in a hard-fought battle between two of tennis’…
CNN — Jimmy Butler’s talents have been lauded this postseason. From his toughness to his elite shot-making, there is a reason he has earned the nickname ‘Himmy Buckets.’ But one talent we didn’t know the Miami Heat star had was clairvoyance. But according to tennis star and Heat fan Coco Gauff, Butler is either excellent…
CNN — Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic left a political message on a TV camera lens at the French Open on Monday in response to violent clashes in Kosovo. Following his first-round victory against American Aleksandar Kovacevic, Djokovic wrote “Kosovo is the [heart] of Serbia. Stop the violence” in Serbian on a camera lens, using…
CNN — It began with 128 contenders, but now the women’s draw at the US Open is down to just four. After almost two weeks of grueling action in the searing heat in New York, the semifinalists have been confirmed for the fourth and final grand slam of 2023. American teenager Coco Gauff faces Czech…
CNN — Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina said that she was unsure why Belarusian opponent Aryna Sabalenka waited at the net for a handshake after their French Open match. With the war in her home country ongoing, Svitolina has declined to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian players since returning to tennis following the birth…
CNN — Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer was disqualified from the Lyon Open on Wednesday after smashing his racket against the base of the umpire’s chair. The incident occurred after Ymer had pleaded with umpire Rogerio Santos to check a ball mark on the clay during his round of 16 match against France’s Arthur Fils….
CNN — The Kosovan Olympic Committee (KOC) has called for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Tennis Federation (ITF) to take disciplinary action against Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic. On Monday, Djokovic left a political message on a TV camera lens at the French Open in response to violent clashes in Kosovo, writing: “Kosovo…
