Tennis

D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com May 30, 2023, 12:04 PM ET Seven-time major champion Venus Williams is slated to make her return to competition at next month’s Libema Open after receiving a wild card on Tuesday. Currently ranked No. 701 in the world, Williams has played sparingly over the past several seasons. The 42-year-old last played at

ESPN News Services May 29, 2023, 10:39 AM ET PARIS — World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz issued an early warning to his rivals as he began his quest for a second Grand Slam title by easing past Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in the French Open first round Monday. Earlier in the day,

ESPN News Services May 29, 2023, 08:59 AM ET Back on her “favorite court in the world,” Sloane Stephens looked sharp in her opening match at the French Open with a 6-0, 6-4 win over two-time major finalist Karolina Pliskova. While Stephens’ only Grand Slam title came at the 2017 US Open, she has had

May 29, 2023, 10:54 AM ET Racist behavior directed at athletes is getting worse, and even software designed to protect them from it has little impact, tennis player Sloane Stephens said Monday. Stephens, speaking after her straight-sets victory over Karolina Pliskova in the French Open first round, said she has had to endure it her

Associated Press May 28, 2023, 07:18 AM ET PARIS — At first, Aryna Sabalenka thought the boos and derisive whistles coming from the French Open crowd were directed at her after a first-round victory Sunday. Instead, the negative reaction was aimed at her opponent, Marta Kostyuk, for not participating in the usual post-match handshake up

May 28, 2023, 12:46 PM ET Stefanos Tsitsipas, the runner-up in Paris in 2021, was dragged into a battle with Czech Jiri Vesely before advancing in four sets, while seeds Karen Khachanov and Hubert Hurkacz also reached the second round of the French Open on Sunday. Tsitsipas, the No. 5 seed, was made to work

May 28, 2023, 09:16 AM ET Without King of Clay Rafael Nadal playing, can Novak Djokovic win — and set the men’s record for most Grand Slams? Or will the victor be heir apparent Carlos Alcaraz? Iga Swiatek has won two out of the past three French Open titles, but will Aryna Sabalenka or Elena

Associated Press May 27, 2023, 04:45 PM ET Freshmen Ethan Quinn of Georgia and Fangran Tian of UCLA won singles titles in the NCAA tennis tournament on Saturday. Quinn, a redshirt, rallied to defeat Michigan’s Ondrej Styler 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-2 to become the third Bulldog and fourth-ever freshman to win the men’s singles

Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterMay 27, 2023, 09:00 AM ET Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Watching Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros is a bucket list experience. The fans in the stands of Court

Bill Connelly, ESPN Staff WriterMay 27, 2023, 09:05 AM ET Close Bill Connelly is a staff writer for ESPN.com. Clay courts can be unpredictable. From 1995 to 2004, before Rafael Nadal claimed Roland Garros as his own personal domain, the French Open gave five men — Thomas Muster, Carlos Moya, Albert Costa, Juan Carlos Ferrero

Associated Press May 26, 2023, 12:07 PM ET GENEVA — Grigor Dimitrov advanced to his first final on the ATP Tour in more than five years on Friday after beating Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (2) at the Geneva Open. Dimitrov trailed by a set and 4-2 before rallying to win a semifinal for the

D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com May 26, 2023, 09:27 AM ET The 2023 French Open is upon us and — spoiler alert — the event is going to have a markedly different vibe this year. Some familiar faces will be missing with the gigantic absence of Rafael Nadal for the first time since 2004, as well as

May 26, 2023, 09:02 AM ET Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday said his split with coach Mark Philippoussis ahead of the French Open was motivated by a desire to simplify the feedback he was receiving from his box. Former Australian tennis player Philippoussis, who joined Tsitsipas’s coaching team last season and helped guide the world number

Associated Press May 25, 2023, 05:00 PM ET GENEVA — Casper Ruud‘s run at a third straight Geneva Open title ended in a 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-5 loss to Nicolas Jarry in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The top-seeded Ruud had his serve broken at 5-5 in the third set after the 54th-ranked Chilean fired two

Associated Press May 25, 2023, 10:10 AM ET PARIS — Carlos Alcaraz and the man he just replaced atop the rankings, 22-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, were placed in the same half of the French Open field in Thursday’s draw and could face each other in the semifinals. Alcaraz is seeded No. 1 at

May 25, 2023, 06:16 AM ET Paula Badosa will miss the French Open after suffering a stress fracture in her spine at the Italian Open last week, the former world number two said on Thursday. The 25-year-old Badosa, who was ranked second a year ago, has dropped to 29th amid an injury-ridden season. The Spaniard

Associated Press May 24, 2023, 03:30 PM ET LYON, France — Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer was disqualified after slamming his racket into the umpire’s chair during a match at the Lyon Open on Wednesday. The 24-year-old was upset that the umpire refused to check a line call in the 11th game of the first

Associated Press May 24, 2023, 02:45 PM ET GENEVA — Top-seeded Casper Ruud began his Geneva Open title defense by beating J.J. Wolf 6-3, 7-5 in the second round Wednesday. The No. 4-ranked Ruud lifted his career record to 9-0 at Geneva, where he won back-to-back titles in the past two years. The clay-court event