Tennis news: Madrid Open match halted as big boom heard over court plus Alcaraz concern

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With the action at the Madrid Open coming to a close, Express looks at some of the big-name matches taking place tomorrow.

In the men's singles, Matteo Berrettini is in action against Dino Prizmic at 9am, while Alexei Popyrin takes on Martin Damm Jr simultaneously.

In the women's singles, meanwhile, while Ashlyn Krueger is up against Sofia Kenin at 9am, as Katie Boulter plays Taylor Townsend at 12.20pm.

Toni Nadal belives Carlos Alcaraz is set to miss the French Open through injury after he pulled out of Madrid.

Speaking on Radioestadio Noche, he said: “Listening to Alcaraz, it seems he’s fairly certain he might miss Roland Garros. I think everything he’s said is spot on; we shouldn’t take any risks.

“They usually advise against returning to competition if the injury isn’t fully healed, and I think that’s what he’s going to do. Nowadays, at these speeds, the ball is moving so fast that it’s easy to make a sudden movement, and that’s when tendons and joints suffer.

“At his age, he shouldn’t take risks, he has many years left and it’s much better to be cautious. It’s a real blow for Carlos Alcaraz, because he had a great chance of repeating his title.

“It’s tough for Carlos, but I think he’s wisely putting his career ahead of his desire to play immediately.

“Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t need to push himself. Even though things haven’t gone perfectly in the last three tournaments, it’s already been a very good year for him. He’s already won a Grand Slam.

“If they tell him his participation isn’t certain, he wouldn’t participate, because at this level, you have to be in top form to perform at your best. It’s much better not to force anything.”

Boris Becker is backing Jannik Sinner to win Madrid and become the first player in histroy to win five-straight Masters 1000 events.

Speaking to Eurosport Spain, he said “Sinner is playing his best tennis right now. I’ve never seen him as strong as he is now.

"Winning the Sunshine Double and then returning to Europe on clay, winning Monte Carlo and practically not losing a set, it’s incredible.

“He’s in top form and I think he might win in Madrid too, especially now that Alcaraz is injured. He’s from another planet.

“I call Sinner ‘Djokovic 2.0’, with a similar style from the baseline, very consistent. Plus, he wins his matches quickly.”

That was Venus Williams’ first match on clay in five years, and it didn’t go to plan for the former world No. 1.

She had a very slow start against Kaitlin Quevedo. Then, just when she looked to be turning things around in the second set with a 3-0 lead, she lost six of the next seven games to lose the match.

Strange atmosphere out there on the court. You can’t blame Williams if she couldn’t find some extra motivation, as there was very little atmosphere and the stands were around a quarter full. It was all pretty flat out there, and it looked like she felt flat too.

The 45-year-old waved goodbye to the remaining fans on the Manolo Stantana Stadium as she left the court, and the announcer made sure to give her a big send-off.

Williams hadn’t played here since 2021 so this may well have been her last appearance at the Caja Magica. It’s a shame if this is how she went out. Match result aside, you’d hope for a better crowd.

Venus Williams' first clay court match in five years ends in a straight-sets defeat to Kaitlin Quevedo in Madrid.

The 45-year-old was competing on the red dirt for the first time since the 2021 French Open.

But she couldn't avoid a 6-2 6-4 defeat to home favourite Quevedo.

Venus is also still searching for her first win of the year, having not won a match since the Citi Open in July last year.

The roof over the Manolo Santana Stadium has been closed, and we're getting back underway with the score level at 3-3 in the second set.

Some fans who got caught in the rain have made their way back to their seats, but it's still pretty empty in here. Hopefully the roof amplifies the noise and livens things up.

Venus Williams just lost three games in a row, and Kaitlin Quevedo had all the momentum before the quick delay. Who has this brief stoppage helped?

Well, we’ve seen it all in the last few minutes. Kaitlin Quevedo was 0-3 down to Venus Williams in this second set, and she’s levelled the score at 3-3.

And just as she’s done that, there’s been a loud boom of thunder, a flash of lightning, and the heavens have opened.

The players were just being held on court while they closed the roof, then we can play on. Williams had since disappeared from my view, but Quevedo is over talking to her team.

If the stands were empty before, it’s even worse now. Everyone on the sides of the court whose seats were fully exposed have either left, or squashed up on the sides under cover.

The Manolo Santana Stadium isn’t the nicest sight right now. It’s grey, the temperature has dropped, and there are just a smattering of fans around the stands inside the main showcourt at the Caja Magica.

It’s not very inspiring for tennis icon Venus Williams, who dropped the first set to fellow wildcard Kaitlin Quevedo.

We might be in Spain, and Quevedo might be Spanish, but a lot of the remaining fans who have stuck around after 6pm here are backing the former world No. 1. There were some cheers and applause as she held to lead 1-0 at the start of this second set. But the atmosphere is definitely lacking. It’s a shame for Williams, who is playing her first clay match in five years. Not much energy to channel.

Venus Williams will have to come from a set down if she is to win her first match since last summer after Kaitlin Quevedo won their opener 6-2 in just under an hour. The veteran rallied from 3-0 down to take the fourth game and got another one back to extend their first set, but could not mount enough of a comeback.

Venus Williams has broken back against Kaitlin Quevedo after being a double break down to the Spanish wildcard, who won the first three games of their opening set. The former Madrid Open has been competitive so far in the first round match and is now belatedly on the board

Venus Williams is now out on court after receiving a guard of honour before her first-round match against fellow wildcard Kaitlin Quevedo. The American is playing for the first time since being beaten by Fran Jones in Miami almost a month ago and is up against an opponent 25 years her junior.

Toni Nadal is the latest to make a Carlos Alcaraz injury admission.

As reported by Marca, he said on ‘Radioestadio Noche’: “Listening to him, it seems complicated. It seems he’s fairly certain he might miss Roland Garros.

“I think everything he’s said is spot on; we shouldn’t take any risk.

“Nowadays, at these speeds, the ball is moving so fast that it’s easy to make a sudden movement, and that’s when tendons and joints suffer.

“At his age, he shouldn’t take risks; he has many years left, and it’s much better to be cautious.

“Normally they don’t advise you to return to competition if the injury isn’t fully healed, and I think that’s what he’s going to do.”

“It’s tough for Carlos [Alcaraz], but I think he’s wisely putting his career ahead of his desire to play immediately. Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t need to push himself.

“Even though things haven’t gone perfectly in the last three tournaments, it’s already been a very good year for him. He’s already won a Grand Slam.

“If they tell him his participation isn’t certain, he wouldn’t participate because, at this level, you have to be in top form to perform at your best. It’s much better not to force anything.”

Jannik Sinner is aiming to win five straight Masters 1000 titles in Madrid this week, but two of his biggest rivals, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, have withdrawn from the tournament.

While it makes him an even bigger favourite for the title, the world No. 1 is sad to see them miss the tournament.

"It's a very big pity to not have him here, and also Novak, the two biggest stars in tennis, you know. So we still hope it's going to be a good tournament, but of course, not seeing them, it makes a big difference," he told us on media day.

"It's for sure a very tough thing for the tournament. Also, last year, [Alcaraz] didn't play, so twice in a row, and also Novak not here, it's tough to swallow for a tournament. It is always different when Carlos and Novak are not in a draw. It's, I would say, very unique because we have shared since last year a lot of tournaments."

Read everything Sinner had to say on Madrid Open media day here

Wimbledon semi-finalist John Isner has shared a Carlos Alcaraz injury verdict with his availability for Roland Garros in doubt.

During the latest episode of ‘Nothing Major‘, he said: “I think this is a big cause for concern. It’s a right wrist injury! You can’t practice right now.

“He is out of Madrid, there is a decent chance he could miss Rome as well, you don’t want to mess around with a wrist injury. I think this is a huge deal.

"It doesn’t mean he can’t win Roland Garros because he’s that supremely talented, but this is a huge deal.

“He has to come back from this injury and have full faith that his wrist is going to hold up.

“In my mind, this is a huge deal and a big issue. Feli Lopez, the Madrid tournament director, has said that it could be more serious than anyone may know.”

Madrid Open director Feliciano Lopez has spoken out on the complaints from the Spanish public over foreign wildcard entries at the tournament.

While at Monday's Laureus World Sports Awards, as per Punto De Break, he said: "Every news story gets blown out of proportion, and social media doesn't help at all: out of 100 comments, 99 are from people who have absolutely no idea what they're talking about.

"This tournament is about to turn 25, and of those 25 years, Spanish tennis has benefited from it for maybe 19. The tournament has changed owners; now IMG is still linked to other owners, and what we try to do is help Spanish tennis—we have that commitment... but we're not the owners of the tournament; they're other companies, with other interests, clients they have to help, and that's what many people don't know.

"We don't have the final say, but if we look at the overall picture, Spanish tennis can't complain, even though in recent years it hasn't had the same level of support as when Ion Tiriac was in charge."

Some chaotic scenes from the Rome Challenger tournament have emerged.

During the match between Nerman Fatic and Chun-Hsin Tseng, the former smashed away the ball after losing a point.

Fatic then angrily strode over to the spectators after a comment was made. The umpire quickly got down from his chair in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Laura Siegemund have both advanced to the round of 64 of the Madrid Open after dominant wins over Beatriz Haddad Maia and Irina-Camelia Begu, respectively.

The next two WTA matches are now both underway with Paula Badosa two games up against Julia Grabher.

The game between Anna Bondar and Viktorija Golubic is also in the early knockings at the Arantxa Sanchez Stadium.

Carlos Alcaraz has hinted that he will miss the French Open at Roland Garros next month through injury.

He picked up a wrist issue at the Barcelona Open which resulted in him pulling out of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid. He has now subtly suggested that he will be absent for more tournaments.

At a press conference while attending the Laureus World Sports Awards, Alcaraz said: "I have a long career ahead of me. Forcing for Roland-Garros could penalize me enormously in the future.

“We'll see what the exams show. But I prefer to come back a bit later rather than rush.”

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was crowned Sportswoman of the Year in the Laureus World Sports Awards on Monday evening.

And she was still all smiles the day after as she explained just how special it was to win the award.

"It means a lot. This is super crazy for me to think that my name is gonna be next to those names from the winners from previous years," she said.

"It's an incredible achievement, especially right now across every sport, there's so many, like, really strong, powerful, and inspiring women doing incredible things. To get this award, I'm speechless and super honoured and proud of that."

The two games at the top of the below list are firmly underway and currently going very differently.

Beatriz Haddad Maia is yet to win any of the five games played with Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in total control.

Elsewhere in Madrid, Laura Siegemund and Irina-Camelia Begu are in the midst of a highly competitive first set with the match level at 4-4.

Kasintseva did hang in there beyond that service game but was ultimately knocked out by Marcinko after losing the second set 7-5, courtesy of a double fault.

At the Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, Laura Samson has also beaten Tatjana Maria.

There are several more matches to come today with Venus Williams the biggest name in action. The schedule is as follows:

Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro

Laura Siegemund vs Irina-Camelia Begu

Paula Badosa vs Julia Grabher

Anna Bondar vs Viktorija Golubic

Kaitlin Quevedo vs Venus Williams

Robin Montgomery vs Magda Linette

Peyton Stearns vs Lois Boisson

Anastasia Zakharova vs Camila Osorio

Janice Tjen vs Maria Sakkari

It's a sunny day in Madrid, and the Caja Magica is looking lively.

It's only day one of the WTA main draw, while ATP qualifying continues, but the fans have turned up for the action. Plenty are catching the action on the outer courts and making the most of the sunshine, while others are in the 'Magic Box', enjoying the different stalls or heading to the three main showcourts.

And they have a real treat today, as tennis icon Venus Williams will be in action on the Manolo Santana Stadium.

The action is underway in Madrid on day two with Petra Marcinko on the verge of beating Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva in the round of 128.

The Croatian took the first set with ease and has fought from two games behind to lead the second set 5-4, but she will have to a game against the Kasintseva serve to triumph within the next few minutes.

Alongside Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, it has also been confirmed that Emma Raducanu will not be at the Madrid Open.

The Brit is set to miss a third consecutive tournament as she continues to fully recover from illness. The 23-year-old has returned to training but the Madrid Open just came too soon.

Jack Draper is another to have withdrawn and he will also be absent for the Italian Open because of a knee tendon injury.

Carlos Alcaraz was also in Madrid for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Following a sensational season, the Spaniard was crowned Sportsman of the Year. He had earlier given an update on the wrist injury that forced him to pull out of the Madrid Open.

When asked if he will be at Roland Garros in May, Alcaraz replied: "We will see. The next scan will be decisive, so we are doing everything possible to ensure everything goes well. I am trying to be patient."

To reveal his love for cricket and issue a new injury update, Djokovic was speaking on a red carpet ahead of the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid.

The Serb is a five-time winner of their prestigious Sportsman of the Year award but on Monday evening, he was actually the host of the event. Djokovic was joined on stage by Olympic skier Eileen Gu.

Ahead of presenting the event, he said: “Last year, I was privileged to present Mondo Duplantis with his Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award – and this time I am delighted to be hosting the show with Eileen, a remarkable athlete who also understands the purpose and mission of Laureus.”

Novak Djokovic was also on hand to provide an update on the shoulder injury that has kept him out of action for three tournaments.

He said: "I'm doing everything in my power to recover and participate in Rome, but I can't say anything now, it all depends on how fast the recovery from the injury progresses."

Novak Djokovic has revealed that Indian star Virat Kohli is the reason for him now following cricket.

On the red carpet before the Laureus World Sports Awards, he told Times Now: "Yes, Virat is a friend and someone I, of course, respect and admire.

"He's actually, to be honest, the reason why I started following cricket. I hadn't followed it before, but through him, I started following it more.

"We keep in touch, and hopefully, when I come, I don't want to say if, but when I come to India, hopefully, he can join me.

"We could do a little bit of tennis and a little bit of cricket, have fun, and just spread positive, good vibes while celebrating sport."

Jannik Sinner has sent a clear message to Carlos Alcaraz after the latter withdrew from the Madrid Open due to injury.

He told Sky Sports: "He's going through a not-so-easy moment right now, and I hope to see him back on the court as soon as possible, maybe even in Rome.

"As a competitor, I hope he's there for Roland Garros too… Because when you want to win, you want to win against the strongest players in the world."

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