Tennis news: Novak Djokovic called out as Emma Raducanu dealt dangerous setback

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Jack Draper came up with a colourful insult to put down the tennis trolls described by fellow British tennis star Katie Boulter.

In a striking interview with the BBC, Boulter revealed that she had received online messages from individuals saying they 'hoped she got cancer' and 'would damage her grandmother's grave'.

Draper has his own take on the matter.

He said: "I take comfort in knowing that whoever's [abusing players online] is probably sat on their mum's couch, nailing a bag of Quavers with their pants on.

"To be honest, I don't really do social media. I don't see it too much. But there does need to be something that gets done about not just in tennis but in professional sport.

"It's too easy to spread hate. I guess that's Twitter, Instagram, that's the world we live in. I'm not a fan of social media at all."

There are four men's singles matches for fans to sink their teeth into at Queen's on Wednesday.

Here is how the fixture list shapes up, with Brits highlighted in bold and action to get underway with the first clash listed at around 12pm...

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Jakub Mensik

Alexei Popyrin vs Jack Draper

Dan Evans vs Brandon Nakashima

Holger Rune vs Mackenzie McDonald

There have been some surprising American scalps so far at Queen's, and Taylor Fritz is the latest to fall.

The third seed was beaten in three sets by Corentin Moutet earlier today, with the much-fancied Ben Shelton also tasting defeat against a Frenchman in Arthur Rinderknech.

Frances Tiafoe lost to Dan Evans on Monday, making it three seeded Americans to crash out.

Intriguingly, three of the four unseeded American competitors in the men's draw have gone through.

Jenson Brooksby, who lost to Jack Draper, is the only exception.

Carlos Alcaraz has claimed that Emma Raducanu will be 'the boss' when they join forces for the revamped US Open mixed doubles event later this summer.

And the five-time Grand Slam champion admitted that the Brit took a while getting back to him on his 'special request' to team up.

"She's gonna be the boss," he said. "Yeah, I mean, the US Open came to us and gave us opportunities to play mixed doubles. I'm super excited about it. I think it's going to be great. It was an amazing idea for the tournament.

"I will try, you know, to put my doubles skill on it. We will try to win. But obviously it's going to be really, really fun."

Emma Raducanu's stalker has been blocked from buying Wimbledon tickets by the All England Club.

The British No.1 hid behind the umpire’s chair in tears during her defeat at the Dubai Championships in February before a 'fixated' man was removed from the stadium.

It was the fourth consecutive event after Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha where the South American man had been watching Raducanu in action. He also approached her the day before in a coffee shop.

The stalker was given a restraining order by Dubai police and his name was circulated to tennis events around the world.

And the All England Club picked up his name from a sweep of the public ballot after Dubai and removed his application.

Carlos Alcaraz is safely through to the round of 16 at Queen's after defeating Adam Walton in straight sets.

The top seed shook off any lingering fatigue from a recent trip to Ibiza to serve 10 aces en route to a 6-4 7-6 win.

Alcaraz will face fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar in the next round after his opponent, Jordan Thompson, retired at the end of the first set when they showed down on Tuesday.

As yet, no official reason has been given for Thompson's retirement.

Jack Draper cracked up the Queen's crowd with a crafty dig at Andy Murray after making a winning start to his grass-court campaign on Tuesday.

Draper demolished Jenson Brooksby 6-3 6-1 to breeze into the round of 16, where he will meet Australian competitor Alexei Popyrin.

Fresh from beating Brooksby in straight sets, Draper was asked what it meant to get his first win on a court named 'Andy Murray Arena'.

And he had the whole venue chuckling when he responded: "Can't get rid of this guy!"

By NEIL MCLEMAN

Jack Draper began his warm-up for Wimbledon with a swift win under a scorching sun in his first grasscourt match of the season.

The British No.1 needed only 77 minutes to beat world No.149 Jenson Brooksby 6-3 6–1 in the first round of the HSBC Championships.

He took his first match point in his first appearance in the newly-named Andy Murray Arena with his eighth ace.

Draper’s biggest challenge was keeping hydrated in the heat and he applied ice to his neck at every changeover. His romp to victory was delayed at 3-0 in the second set for treatment to a spectator who was suffering in the heat.

He will face Aussie world No.21 Alexei Popryin in the second round on Thursday.

Brandon Nakashima is through to the next round after coming from behind to beat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in three sets.

The same cannot be said for Alex de Minaur, who is out after losing at the hands of Jiri Lehecka.

Jack Draper, meanwhile, is closing in on a routine victory over Jenson Brooksby.

That match was briefly suspended due to a medical emergency in the stands, but is now back underway.

Boris Becker has reportedly been left off the BBC's punditry line-up for Wimbledon this year.

The tennis star was previously a regular at SW19 but has not worked for the BBC since he was jailed in 2022.

Becker has also been overlooked by TNT Sports, who will provide live coverage of the singles finals in addition to daily highlights.

That is despite the German teaming up with the broadcaster for their coverage of the recent French Open.

The US Open has confirmed an eye-catching mixed doubles field ahead of this year's tournament.

Emma Raducanu will team up with Carlos Alcaraz, while Jack Draper will be on the same side of the net as Qinwen Zheng.

Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, and Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios are just some of the other pairings on the list.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has pulled out of Queen's Club ahead of his scheduled match against Carlos Alcaraz later today.

The Spaniard, who got married over the weekend, cited illness as the reason for his withdrawal.

He has been replaced in the draw by Adam Walton, a lucky loser who will face Alcaraz instead.

Here is today's schedule for the men's singles at Queen's Club...

Andy Murray Arena

Alex de Minaur vs Jiri Lehecka

Jenson Brooksby vs Jack Draper

Carlos Alcaraz vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Corentin Moutet vs Taylor Fritz

Court One

Brandon Nakashima vs Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard

Arthur Rinderknech vs Ben Shelton

Jordan Thompson vs Jaume Munar

Gabriel Diallo vs Billy Harris

Court Five

Alexei Popyrin vs Aleksandar Vukic

Reilly Opelka vs Camilo Ugo Carabello

Patrick Mouratoglou has questioned if Novak Djokovic is motivated enough to win another Grand Slam before he retires.

Speaking to Firstpost, he said: His tennis there and I can totally see him winning that match against Jannik [Sinner].

"Of course, it would be a very tight match, but he has so many in the past and most of the time, he found a solution to win.

"Level wise, he is there. Physically, he is there, but winning those matches is not about the tennis. It is more about the mental side of it.

"I did feel he accepted the dominance of [Jannik] Sinner on him, which is not Novak. I didn’t see the Novak I know and I still think his motivation is not high enough."

Aryna Sabalenka has admitted to being 'completely unprofessional' after losing to Coco Gauff in the French Open final.

She was anything but dignified in defeat, suggesting afterwards that Gauff only managed to win because of her own mistakes.

Reflecting on her comments, Sabalenka said: "That was just completely unprofessional of me.

"I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said back then.

"We all make mistakes and I’m just a human being who’s still learning in life.

"I think we all have those days when we lose control. The difference with me is that the world is watching. I get a lot more hate for what I did than other people."

Dan Evans has launched a stinging attack on higher-ranked players who regularly complain about the schedule.

"Anybody outside the top 15 don't have those views, because the bottom line is anybody outside the top 15 needs to play every week," said the Brit.

"People need working opportunities. If you are at 60 in the world with more than two people on your staff each week, you need to make money.

"You can't just not have tournaments every week. They need tournaments. That's it.

"You can't just listen to the top guys on scheduling. Just because they are better than us at tennis doesn't mean their voice is louder to talk.

"That's what I'll say. I'm more than happy to have the conversation with whoever wants it."

Katie Boulter has offered an insight into the vile abuse she gets on social media, which has included threats to her safety.

She told BBC Sport: "It becomes more apparent every single time you go on your phone.

"I think it increases in number and it also increases in the level of things that people say. I don't think there's anything off the cards now."

One of the messages Boulter received during the French Open was from somebody wishing for her to get cancer.

"I just wonder who the person is that has sent that," she reflected.

"I don't think it's something that I would ever say to my worst enemy. It's just an awful, awful thing to say to anyone. It's horrible."

Emma Raducanu's withdrawal from the Berlin Open has dashed her hopes of a Wimbledon seeding.

The young Brit is currently managing a back problem and is taking time away from the court to rest and recuperate.

Since she will not be seeded at SW19, she could be pitted against a top player in the opening round.

Raducanu will be desperately hoping for a kind draw to give herself the best chance of going deep into the tournament.

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