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Two-time women’s Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek is blazing her own path at the top of professional tennis but says that lessons drawn from her idol Rafael Nadal have helped keep her dizzying success in perspective.

After claiming her 35th consecutive match win and sixth consecutive title Saturday against Coco Gauff in Paris, the Pole said that watching how Nadal has faced success and failure had helped to shape her own approach to the highs and lows of life on tour.

“I think the best thing I can learn from him is how he's cool about what's going on around him,” Swiatek said. “Because sometimes in our heads, I think many players are overanalysing everything. We treat those finals… [that] if we are gonna lose suddenly, our life is bad.

“I feel like all these great champions, they kind of accept that they may lose. I remember even last year when Rafa lost in semi-finals, I met him coincidentally next day, at breakfast in the hotel, and I said to him that I was crying basically the whole evening because he lost.

“He was, like, ‘Oh, it's just a tennis match. You win, you lose. It's normal’. Not everybody can do that and just treat those big moments as another match.”

Nadal, who on Sunday will chase record-extending 14th Roland Garros and 22nd Grand Slam titles against Casper Ruud, has been full of praise for Swiatek.

“When somebody like her is winning the tournaments and is winning with these results, I mean, it's something special, no?” Nadal said in his pre-tournament presser at Roland Garros.

"It was a big surprise probably the first time, that couple of years ago when she won here. But the way that she's playing this year looks unstoppable… I’m just happy for her. She's very spontaneous and natural girl. Is good to have girls like this, good people like her having success."

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Alexander Zverev has reported that initial medical checks indicate that he has torn several lateral ligaments in his right foot following his sickening injury at Roland Garros Friday.

The 25-year-old German was more than three hours into an epic semi-final with Rafael Nadal when he badly rolled his ankle while moving to his right. The World No. 3 crashed to the ground and was taken off court in a wheelchair before returning several minutes later to shake the hand of the chair umpire and hug Nadal.

“I am now on my way back home,” the World No. 3 wrote on Instagram. “Based on the first medical checks, it looks like I have torn several lateral ligaments in my right foot.

“I will be flying to Germany to determine the best and quickest way for me to recover. I want to thank everyone all over the world for the kind messages that I have received since yesterday.”

Zverev and Nadal had enthralled fans on Court Philippe Chatrier for three hours and 13 minutes before Zverev’s injury brought the match to a jarring conclusion on the eve of the second-set tie-break. Nadal had rallied from 2/6 in the first set tie-break to hold a 7-6(8), 6-6 lead at the time.

Zverev was chasing his first Grand Slam title and the No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking, which he would have claimed for the first time by winning the title.

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NOVAK DJOKOVIC lost to Rafael Nadal in the Roland Garros quarter-final. from Daily Express :: Tennis Feed https://ift.tt/EfTSg0i

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RAFAEL NADAL progressed to the French Open final after Alexander Zverev was forced to retire from their semi-final with a horrific injury. from Daily Express :: Tennis Feed https://ift.tt/lxdV39a

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Casper Ruud continues to thrive in his maiden trip deep into the second week of a Grand Slam. The 23-year-old advanced to his first major quarter-final earlier this fortnight — becoming the first Norwegian man to reach that stage — and is now through to the final after a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory against Marin Cilic in Friday's semi-finals.

The eighth seed will face Rafael Nadal for the first time in Sunday's final as he bids to deny the Spaniard a record-extending 14th Roland Garros title and 22nd Grand Slam singles title.

After Cilic powered through the opening set behind two late breaks, Ruud began a methodical comeback that picked up steam as the match progressed. The Croatian dominated the early rallies, winning and losing points on his own terms, before Ruud gained traction behind his high-rpm ground strokes.

After spending much of the opening set on defense, the Norwegian began to pull his opponent around by finding the corners with heavy spin. The story of the match can be tracked by the winners-to-unforced errors counts for both men. After Ruud struck just three winners (and five errors) in the opening set, he hit 16, 12, and 10 in the final three, outpacing his error count by a healthy margin in each. Cilic produced a plus-four ratio in the opening two sets but a minus-nine mark in the last two.

Following the victory, Ruud rises above Carlos Alcaraz to No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, projecting for career-high in Monday's Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Cilic was bidding for his fourth major final and had the opportunity to become fifth active man to reach the final of all four Slams. The World No. 23 would have been the lowest-ranked Roland Garros semi-finalist since No 25 Robin Soderling in 2009.

More to come...

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Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev did not complete two full sets in Friday's semi-finals — with the German retiring with an ankle injury — but they still battled for more than three hours under the closed roof on Court Philippe Chatrier. That puts Nadal's time on court at 11 hours and 46 minutes across his past three matches.

"Physically I'm OK," Nadal, who turned 36 on Friday, said in his post-match press conference. "Normally my problem is not the physical performance."

His comments bode well for his bid for a record-extending 14th Roland Garros title and 22nd Grand Slam singles title. Nadal is also seeking to become the oldest champion in the clay major's history. Victory in Paris would see him claim the Australian Open and Roland Garros titles in the same season for the first time. "Of course today the conditions have been very hot, super humid. I know from experience that when these conditions happen, I suffer a little bit more in terms of physical... Have been a lot of up-and-downs during the match, but a good level of tennis with great points. But of course when the ball is slow, conditions are very heavy with big humidity, then physically you suffer more than with dry conditions."

Nadal opted not to keep a second ball in his pocket when serving for much of the match, repeating a strategy he used at the Australian Open to prevent the balls from picking up moisture from his shorts and becoming even heavier.

The Spaniard, who sympathised with Zverev following his unfortunate injury, also credited the German for his high-level effort and called his backhand the Tour's best.

"He started the match playing amazing, honestly. Have been a miracle that first set," said Nadal, who clawed back an early break and erased a 2/6 deficit in the opening tie-break. "But I was there fighting and trying to find solutions all the time."

Nadal was frustrated by both Zverev's game and the Chatrier conditions, explaining that he "was not able to create the damage" that he wanted in some of the slowest conditions he's played in at Roland Garros.

"My ball was not bouncing as usual here, no?" he explained. "So with that conditions, I was not able to push him back. He was able to hit a clean ball all the time, so [I] was surviving. A lot of surviving moments during that match."

The Chatrier roof was open for the day's second semi-final between eighth seed Casper Ruud and 20th seed Marin Cilic. Nadal will be hoping that is the case again for Sunday, regardless of opponent. His coach, Carlos Moya, was spotted enjoying the open air as he scouted Nadal's potential final opponents.

Nadal has climbed to No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this fortnight and is guaranteed to extend his lead in the ATP Race To Turin.

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THE second of the men's French Open semi finals was briefly stopped after a protester made her way onto the court. from Daily Express :: Tennis Feed https://ift.tt/HyeLhAQ

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RAFAEL NADAL will take on Alexander Zverev in the French Open semi-final. from Daily Express :: Tennis Feed https://ift.tt/QcRUHzV

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ANDY MURRAY has always been a huge admirer of Rafael Nadal, who is gunning for French Open glory this year. from Daily Express :: Tennis Feed https://ift.tt/FQBdAzw

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RAFAEL NADAL is the huge favourite in his French Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev. from Daily Express :: Tennis Feed https://ift.tt/7ZeMCyK

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NEIL SQUIRES COLUMN: Express Sport's Chief Sports Writer discusses the Rafael Nadal mistake made by the French Open and the risk of England fans shaming the country in Germany next week. from Daily Express :: Tennis Feed https://ift.tt/aABowxF

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Friday is men's semi-finals day at Roland Garros, with Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev set to open play on Court Philippe Chatrier ahead of a clash between Casper Ruud and Marin Cilic.

Playing on his 36th birthday, Nadal looks to take the next step towards a record-extending 14th Roland Garros title and 22nd Grand Slam trophy. He is bidding to sweep the Australian Open and Roland Garros titles in the same year for the first time. If he succeeds, he will become the oldest champion in the history of the clay-court Grand Slam.

There's a lot on the line for the other semi-finalists as well. Zverev can rise to No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with a win over the Spaniard, and would set himself up to become World No. 1 for the first time should he lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires on Sunday.

Ruud, playing in his first Grand Slam semi-final, can rise to No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with a win over Cilic, who is seeking to become the 19th player in history to reach the final of all four majors.

View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw | View Schedule

[3] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs. [5] Rafael Nadal (ESP)

Nadal booked his 10th ATP Head2Head meeting with Zverev by winning the match that many had circled at the start of Roland Garros. He was emotional after his quarter-final victory over Novak Djokovic, but began looking ahead to the semi-final even in the immediate afterglow of that Tuesday night triumph.

Zverev and Nadal’s second Grand Slam meeting comes in the wake of dramatic four-set wins for both players. Zverev fended off a strong Carlos Alcaraz comeback to reach the semi-finals in Paris for a second-straight year, while 13-time champion Nadal improved to 8-2 at the clay-court Grand Slam against World No. 1 Djokovic.

The pair’s previous encounter at a major was a five-set thriller at the 2017 Australian Open, where Nadal took the final two sets to clinch a third-round comeback victory. That win contributes to the Spaniard’s 6-3 ATP Head2Head series lead over Zverev, with Nadal leading 4-1 in meetings on clay. Yet the fifth seed, who holds a 110-3 match record at Roland Garros, will not be taking anything for granted when he takes to court on Friday.

"If I am not playing good or if I am losing in that semi-finals match, [it is] not going to be because I'm not going to be focussed,” said Nadal after ousting Djokovic. “I have experience on that. I am not the kind of guy and player that emotionally goes high and low. I am very stable, I think, emotionally.

Despite arriving in Paris with lingering doubts over a chronic foot injury that hampered him at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome, Nadal has looked in fine form in the French capital. The Spaniard eased past Jordan Thompson, Corentin Moutet and Botic van de Zandschulp before coming through a five-setter with Felix Auger-Aliassime and downing Djokovic to book his spot in the last four.

For third seed Zverev, the quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz represented something of a breakthrough. The German served with confidence and struck the ball cleanly throughout to clinch a maiden triumph over a Top 10 opponent at a Grand Slam, and the 19-time tour-level titlist hopes the experience can help him get over the line on Friday against Nadal.

“Yes, I have not beaten them in majors, but I feel like I was very close,” said Zverev when discussing the prospect of facing Nadal or Djokovic prior to their epic quarter-final clash. “I feel like I have had very difficult and tough matches against them... But there is a big difference between having a tough match and beating them.

“Hopefully I can manage and take this win today and put it on the court on Friday.”

The German’s Roland Garros campaign was almost over in the second round when he saved a match point before edging Sebastian Baez over five sets. Zverev dealt with Sebastian Ofner, Brandon Nakashima and Bernabe Zapata Miralles in a more routine fashion, but is unlikely to be able to afford any lapses if he wants to become just the fourth player to defeat Nadal at Roland Garros.

Australian Open champion Nadal is chasing a second Grand Slam and fourth title overall in 2022, while Zverev is yet to lift a trophy this year. Yet the World No. 3 has enjoyed a solid European clay season. He reached the semi-finals in Monte Carlo and Rome either side of a run to the championship match in Madrid, and the five-time ATP Masters 1000 champion believes he is ready to go all the way at a Grand Slam.

“At the end of the day, I'm not 20 or 21 years old anymore,” said Zverev after his quarter-final win. “I'm 25. I am at the stage where I want to win, I'm at the stage where I'm supposed to win, as well.”

While he is yet to go all the way at the Grand Slam level, the German has done plenty of winning in his career to date. He leads the ATP Tour in match victories since 2017, the year he turned 20.

Player  ATP Tour Wins (2017-22) Zverev 277 Djokovic 254 Nadal 250 Medvedev 236 Tsitsipas 222

[7] Casper Ruud (NOR) vs. [20] Marin Cilic (CRO)

Like Nadal, Cilic will play the role of veteran in this semi-final. It's a position he has excelled in to reach the semi-finals, downing Daniil Medvedev, 26, and Andrey Rublev, 24, in the previous two rounds. 

While the 33-year-old plans to continue for "at least three, four years" on the Tour, this could be his best opportunity to win a second Grand Slam title to go along with his 2014 US Open triumph. The Croatian is playing in his sixth Grand Slam semi — and first since he reached the 2018 Australian Open final — while Ruud had not reached the quarter-finals of a Slam until this week. 

But Cilic is 0-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against the Norwegian, with Ruud scoring wins at the ATP Masters 1000s in Rome (2019) and Montreal (2020).

"I would say he's one of the best guys on the Tour, especially on clay," Cilic said of the 23-year-old, before their matchup was confirmed. "On clay courts he's having an incredible 12 months, won so many titles on clay. Definitely enjoying to play and feels fantastic on clay. It's going to be absolutely a difficult match if he goes through.

"For me, I try to focus on myself. [I have] obviously a big game, big serve, and I have to do my things well in order to play against these top guys the best I can."

Ruud has rounded into form brilliantly in recent weeks following a 4-4 start to the European clay swing. In May, he reached the Rome semi-finals (l. to Djokovic) and won the Geneva title before Roland Garros. He takes a nine-match winning streak into the semi-finals.

The Norwegian has had prolific success on clay in recent years. From 2020-22, he leads the Tour in match wins (65), titles (7) and finals (8) on the surface.

Most Clay Wins (2020-22)  Most Clay Titles (2020-22) Ruud - 65 Ruud - 7 Tsitsipas - 51 Alcaraz/Djokovic - 4 Schwartzman - 47 Garin/Nadal/Tsitsipas - 3 Djokovic - 43  

Ruud became the first Norwegian man to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final when he beat 12th seed Hubert Hurkacz in four sets in the fourth round. He advanced to the semis with a four-set win over #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune in the first all-Scandinavian Roland Garros quarter-final.

"These are the matches you dream about playing and hopefully of course even the final, if it's possible," Ruud said after his latest victory. "I have to be really focussed and bring my 'A' game in the semi-final because Marin has played great all week and it's going to be another tough match."

While Cilic played the longer quarter-final — battling Rublev for four hours and 10 minutes in a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-7, 7-6(10-2) epic — Ruud did not put Rune away until roughly 12:45 a.m. in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. After that three-hour-and-15-minute contest, he has less than 48 hours to prepare to the biggest match of his young career. 

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RAFAEL NADAL is favourite to claim a remarkable 14th French Open title at Roland Garros, but he still has plenty of work to do with Alexander Zverev up next in the semi-finals. from Daily Express :: Tennis Feed https://ift.tt/gwht35p

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RAFAEL NADAL is hoping to win the French Open for a 14th time this year. from Daily Express :: Tennis Feed https://ift.tt/oTfYGWQ

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RAFAEL NADAL advanced to the French Open semi-final with a four-set win over Novak Djokovic on Tuesday. from Daily Express :: Tennis Feed https://ift.tt/In1rTht

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Casper Ruud advanced to his first Grand Slam semi-final on Wednesday at Roland Garros. It is safe to say the Norwegian did not eat any tomato in the pre-match meal that helped fuel him across the line.

In this edition of 'Food Court', Ruud dishes on his favourite meal to cook, his guilty pleasures, why he does not eat tomatoes and more.

Let’s say you have to cook tonight, whether for yourself or for friends. What would you cook and why? I would go for spaghetti vongole. It’s an Italian pasta dish with clams from the sea. I really like it and it’s not too difficult to make, actually. It sounds a bit fancy, but it’s not difficult at all.

How would you rate your cooking skills? Are you close to a Michelin star? No, I’m not a Michelin star. I’m far, far away from it. Most days in my year I eat either in restaurants or takeout. [I go to] restaurants obviously when I’m out travelling and when I’m home I try to do some home-made meals, but mostly takeout as well.

What’s your guilty pleasure? I like Asian food, Asian flavours. Japanese and Thai. I really like pad Thai. I always try to find it whenever I’m travelling around a place that has great pad Thai, which is a quite simple noodle dish. But sushi is also one of my favourites, but I also have to say Italian food is on the top there.

What do you eat right before a match and how many hours before the match do you eat it? I always eat the same for lunch or dinner before a match. I eat a very simple, plain rice with chicken, some olive oil and salt. It seems like a smart thing to do, it’s quite easy and some good carbohydrates if I have to play a long [match]. It’s not too much flavor obviously, that’s why I add a little bit of salt. Salt is also good for sweating a lot, which I do. I think we found a good way to do it before matches.

I always try to eat around an hour and a half or two hours before the match so that the food has time to sink and I don’t feel heavy or too full when I go out on court. After matches I try to have some protein and some food right away, right after the match.

What do you snack on during a match? Has that changed over the years and if so, what did you used to eat? I have some bars and some gels and maybe a banana here and there, but not typically. For best-of-five sets yes, I’d consider it more, but not too much I would say.

The thing is that I’m sweating a lot, so when you’re sweating and your body is hot or warm from sweating, you don’t really have the biggest appetite, so I find it quite hard to eat during [a match]. But some bars and some stuff is quite simple. It has changed. Everything has become increasingly more professional for me now than let’s say five years ago.

I’ve been quite good with those routines and I always try to eat healthy or as healthy as I can. Obviously on match days, I try to keep it very simple.

What might you eat during a non-tournament week that you wouldn’t during a tournament? I think maybe I add a little bit more dessert when I’m not in tournament weeks, but I’m quite a simple guy when it comes to eating. Asian and Italian food is kind of where I spend most of my meals. Obviously sometimes I try to have some American food, especially [in the United States]. I’ll have some burgers or ribs. I always enjoy those things, but not too much. You could [feel] quite heavy from it before a match. 

What is something people might be surprised to hear you enjoy?&#x2028 I really like mussels and clams, so that’s not something that I think everybody likes. But I’m quite picky at the same time. I don’t eat tomatoes. I don’t find them tasty at all. I know tomato is in a lot of dishes, so that’s a bit unfortunate, but I’m quite picky. I don’t really like mushrooms either. There are some things that I try to stay away from, but I would say mussels and clams are not typical in my family to like, but I do.

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What is the best meal from your culture/country? I would say that we have great salmon, which is kind of our pride. Our salmon is top notch, I think. We don’t have many typical dishes that are honestly too good, but the salmon we take good pride in.

Is there something about your diet that you might not have known as a junior that has really helped you? I think I try to eat a little bit of green every day, either vegetables or salad. I actually feel it helps your body. It’s easy, but at the same time very important for the body. I didn’t like it too much when I was younger, but luckily I came to like it a little more as I’m getting older. My taste is getting more mature, so it’s easier for me now to eat green stuff.

What is your favourite place on Tour for food? Favourite place for food? Ooh. We are always very well taken care of, we have many options. But I think one of the tournaments that does incredible lunch and dinner is Vienna, the ATP 500 event. There you find very good pasta, a good salad bar, good meat as well if you want to have that. They do a very, very good job and I always enjoy Austrian food with schnitzel and everything. I enjoy being there.

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Casper Ruud held off a spirited challenge from #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune Wednesday night at Roland Garros, extending his best Grand Slam run into the semi-finals. The 23-year-old Norwegian scored a 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 victory in the first all-Scandinavian Roland Garros quarter-final — and the first major quarter-final overall for both men.

Ruud started brightly and cruised ahead by a set and a break before his 19-year-old opponent clicked into gear, breaking twice in quick succession to level the match. The Norwegian again went ahead by a mid-set break in the third, but for the second straight set saw his advantage erased in the very next game.  

In the crucial tie-break, the veteran showed why he has won a Tour-leading 64 (now 65) clay-court matches since 2020. Ruud locked down from the baseline and controlled the rallies without overhitting, sealing the deal with his 17th winner of the set. He also had the answer for several Rune drop shots, outfoxing his opponent on a tactic the Dane had used to great success to that point.

The eighth seed continued to pressure Rune in the fourth and made his breakthrough on return in the eighth game — though the Norwegian had to battle through three deuces after his opponent erased a 0/40 deficit. He served out the match with ease, closing the door with his 55th winner. Ruud finished at a pristine plus-31 in the winners-to-errors count, committing just 24 unforced mistakes.

The first-time Slam semi-finalist improved to 4-0 in his ATP Head2Head series against Rune and will next face Marin Cilic in Friday's semi-finals. The 20th-seeded Croatian was a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(10-2) winner over Andrey Rublev earlier on Court Philippe Chatrier.

"These are the matches you dream about playing and hopefully of course even the final, if it's possible," Rune said in an on-court interview. "But I have to be really focussed and bring my 'A' game in the semi-final because Marin has played great all week and it's going to be another tough match."

Ruud is the first Norwegian man to contest a Grand Slam singles quarter-final, an honour that seemed imminent following his form in recent years, particularly on clay. In addition to having the ATP Tour's most clay wins since 2020, he's also won eight tour-level titles in that span, including seven on clay.

If history is to repeat itself this fortnight, Ruud might have another trophy on the way. The winner of the last all-Scandinavian men’s quarter-final, semi-final or final at a major went on to win the title: At the 2002 Australian Open, when eventual champion Thomas Johansson defeated Jonas Bjorkman in an all-Swedish quarter-final.

"A big day for Norwegian tennis," Ruud said in his post-match interview, "because we have also a female player — Ulrikke Eikeri — who made the final of mixed doubles today. She is even one step further than me. She will play for probably her biggest title of her life tomorrow so I wish her luck."

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Rune was seeking to become the youngest men's Grand Slam semi-finalist since Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer on his 19th birthday in the 2005 Roland Garros semi-finals. The Dane was the lone unseeded quarter-finalist this fortnight.

Despite the loss, Rune's quarter-final run — in just his third major appearance — lifted him 12 places to No. 28 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. He entered Paris at a career-high of No. 40 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after winning his maiden ATP Tour title in Munich on 1 May.

Both Rune and Ruud are former World No. 1 juniors. Rune, the 2019 Roland Garros boys' singles champ, was hoping to join Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and Stan Wawrinka as the only men to sweep the men's and boys' titles in the Open Era.

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