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World number one Carlos Alcaraz remained confident his game is improving despite a third-round exit at the Miami Open, and after a few days to reset he'll be turning his attention to the clay court season."Probably I'm going to go back home," Alcaraz said after falling in three sets to 36th-ranked American Sebastian Korda on Sunday."Chilling with my family, with my friends a couple of days. I don't know how much my team are going to allow me to have rest and a day off."The clay season is around the corner. My mind right now is to take some days off, to reset my mind, reset the batteries, be ready and in good shape for the clay season."Korda became the lowest-ranked man to defeat Alcaraz since 55th-ranked David Goffin ousted him in the second round at Miami last year.The Spaniard had built a 73-6 record in the year since then, including a 16-0 run to start 2026 that included an Australian Open title that made the 22-year-old the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.He added a title in Doha before a semi-final defeat at Indian Wells, and he knows that every lower-ranked player comes out swinging freely against him."Obviously when you're winning tournaments and you have great record win/lose, everything is easier in the way of pressure to the opponents," he said. "I'm feeling they have more to win than to lose in those matches ... they're playing without pressure."Alcaraz is trying to make sure he doesn't respond by piling pressure on himself."I'm not thinking about my pressure," he said. "I don't feel it at all. I'm trying to play my best."That includes constant work to improve his game, and despite Sunday's result he's confident he's on the right track."I would say what I was practicing, you know, I think I just did it really well," he said. "Some couple things in previous tournaments that I just didn't feel comfortable, I think in this tournament, I started to feel better and better."I think the process has been good. Besides the loss today, I think I'm still in the right way." 

World number one Carlos Alcaraz swept past Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-3 to reach the third round of the Indian Wells Masters on Saturday as Novak Djokovic battled back for a three-set victory over Kamil Majchrzak.Spain's Alcaraz was untroubled by the former world number three from Bulgaria, pushing his perfect 2026 match record to 13-0 in just 66 minutes.Djokovic, a five-time Indian Wells champion who has struggled in recent years, had to grind for two hours and 12 minutes to subdue 57th ranked Majchrzak of Poland 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.Alcaraz said he has been wary of Dimitrov, but even in the swirling winds on Stadium Court he was in control, firing from the baseline with power and accuracy.He barely broke sweat and cracked plenty of smiles, saving the lone break point he faced in the second set and even getting a high-five from his opponent on a changeover."I think I played great," said the 22-year-old Spaniard, whose Australian Open triumph made him the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam."The conditions weren't easy, a lot of wind today. I'm really, really happy just that I was able to do every goal that I set up before the match."Alcaraz, who followed up his Melbourne triumph with a title in Doha, says Indian Wells is the perfect place to keep the wins coming."I love being here so much, I think that's why I'm just playing relaxed, playing calm, chilling," he said.Although he shares the record for most Indian Wells titles with Swiss great Roger Federer, Djokovic has found the early going in California anything but relaxing in recent years.That was true again on Saturday, but the 38-year-old Serb superstar -- back on court for the first time since he fell to Alcaraz in the Australian Open final -- managed to escape with a win.Majchrzak grabbed two quick breaks in the opening set before Djokovic began to find his rhythm from the baseline and assert his superiority."Five weeks with no official match, I knew that the first match in such a long time will be a little bit tricky," Djokovic said."I felt like I had to find my A-game when it was most needed, particularly the beginning of the third, which was the case," Djokovic added after a match marked by extended, entertaining rallies that included a 40-ball exchange in the opening game of the third.It was an especially satisfying win for Djokovic, who lost his opener last year to Dutch lucky loser Botic van de Zandshculp and fell to lucky loser Luca Nardi in the third round in 2024.He hasn't reached the quarter-finals here since his last run to the title in 2016.Draper ralliesBritain's Jack Draper launched his title defense with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.Draper halted Alcaraz's bid for a rare Indian Wells three-peat in the semi-finals last year before beating Holger Rune in the final.That victory launched his rise to fourth in the world, before an arm injury brought his 2025 season to a premature close."To come out and play the level I'm playing after the injury I had, I am really proud of that," Draper said.In other matches, unseeded Brazilian Joao Fonseca saved two match points to take out 16th-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-4.Seventh-seeded former champion Taylor Fritz squandered four match points in the second set but held on for a 6-3, 6-7 (8/10), 6-1 victory over 87th-ranked Briton Jacob Fearnley. 

Carlos Alcaraz puts his flawless start to the season on the line and fellow top seed Aryna Sabalenka aims ‌to regroup from Australian Open disappointment as Indian ​Wells begins this week. Alcaraz ‌arrives in the Southern California desert fresh off ‌completing the career Grand ‌Slam in Melbourne and carrying ‌a 12-0 record for 2026. The 22-year-old Spaniard, already a two-times champion at the prestigious event, could be headed for another high-profile showdown with rival Jannik Sinner in what has become the sport’s most compelling match-up. “What’s interesting about Carlos and Jannik is that whenever one gains an edge, the other goes away, figures things out, and ​comes back better,” Tennis Channel analyst Prakash Amritraj told Reuters this week. Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, continues to defy expectations in the twilight of ‌his career. The Serbian great stunned Sinner ​with a gritty five-set comeback win in Melbourne ​and remains a force at the biggest events. “Djokovic managed to move the unmovable mountain that is Jannik Sinner,” Amritraj said. “To come from behind in five sets, while also making the semis of all four majors last year, is hard to put into words.” Djokovic, a 24-times Grand Slam champion who has rewritten much of tennis history, could break his tie with Roger Federer ‌for the most Indian ‌Wells titles should he lift a sixth trophy.On the women’s side, Belarusian power-hitter Sabalenka returns to action for the first time since her bid for a third Australian Open crown was halted by Elena Rybakina. Despite several painful losses in title matches, Sabalenka has been the steadiest presence in a frequently unpredictable WTA landscape, reaching five ​of the past six Grand Slam finals. “Sabalenka has been the most consistent player at that level,” Amritraj said. “She hasn’t always crossed the finish line, but in my mind she is still the clear number one. Regardless of that loss to Rybakina in Australia, she’s my favourite here.” 

Carlos Alcaraz made a triumphant return to action following his Australian Open triumph as he beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in the first round in Doha on Tuesday. Alcaraz, who became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam with his victory in Melbourne, saw off the 30th-ranked Rinderknech in two closely contested sets. “It was really difficult,” Alcaraz said after his one hour, 47-minute win. “Arthur is a really dangerous player. Nobody wants to play against him in the first round... I’m happy with the level. I’m happy that I got through difficult moments in the match. I’m happy that I stayed calm [and] positive, and played great tennis.” The world number one will face another Frenchman in round two, 60th-ranked Valentin Royer. Alcaraz took the first set after breaking in the fifth game but faced dogged resistance from Rinderknech, who brought up his first break points of the match with the top seed serving to force a tie-break in the second set. The Spaniard saved both and then closed out victory in the tie-break, ripping a forehand down the line on match point. This week, Alcaraz is aiming to improve on last year’s debut result in Doha, where he fell to Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will next meet Frenchman Valentin Royer. Alcaraz can only meet second seed Sinner — who surged past Tomas Machac on Monday — in the championship match, which would be the 17th chapter of their thrilling rivalry. Stefanos Tsitsipas ignited his Doha campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Tunisian wild card Moez Echargui, booking a popcorn second-round clash with 2023 winner and longtime rival Daniil Medvedev. Tsitsipas trails 4-10 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, though they have not met since Shanghai in 2024. Jiri Lehecka, Zizou Bergs, Fabian Marozsan and Zhang Zhizhen also all advanced on Tuesday. Lehecka eased past Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 6-3, Bergs overcame Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4, Marozsan dispatched Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-1 and Zhang downed Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 6-4. Alcaraz's chief rival Jannik Sinner is on the other side of the draw. No player other than Alcaraz or Sinner has won a tour-level title at an event featuring both of them since Andrey Rublev lifted the trophy in Madrid in May 2024. 

Australian Open champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain is unbeaten in the new season but the 22-year-old is no mood to relax ahead of this week’s Qatar ExxonMobil Open where he is the top seed. Alcaraz beat Grand Slam ‘king’ Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open two weeks ago to be 7-0 in the new season that has just completed six weeks of top flight tennis. “Coming here, these days, my team and I, just we set up some goals for this tournament,” Alcaraz said during a pre-event news conference Sunday. “We are not talking about results at all. It’s just more about the process to be better, still in the process to grow up. There are some things that I really want to be better and (I want to) develop my game in a way that I really want to show up and to pull off here in this tournament. “That would be a really successful week for me, besides results. I (want to) see myself that I’m just doing the right things on and off the court,” the 25-time Tour-level champion said. Alcaraz will take on France’s Arthur Rinderknech in their opening match in Doha where his chief opponent is second seed Jannik Sinner of Italy. The Doha field also includes former champions Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov. Alexander Bublik is seeded third, followed by Medvedev in fourth and Rublev in fifth. Jakub Mensik, Khachanov and Jiri Lehecka complete the top eight seeds at the $2,833,335 tournament. The singles champion will get richer by $529,945 while the winning doubles team will split $174,050. “I know how difficult every match is. Every match is different, our play is totally different,” Alcaraz said yesterday. “I think this draw is a really tough one for a 500 tournament. We can see the first matches how good matches that we have in the first round. So (I’m) just thinking about a match at a time, and let’s see how far I can go. Obviously my mind is trying to go as far as I can. If it’s possible to play a final, obviously that would be great, and that’s what I’m looking for, so let’s see. I’m not thinking about playing or just putting myself in the final too early. I want to think day by day,” he added. Alcaraz said recent successes have made him more determined to work harder and not take his opponents lightly. “Obviously I can see myself that (I have had) a lot of success so far, winning the biggest tournaments in the world,” Alcaraz said. “But I just see myself with weaknesses. A lot of players, I know that they’re trying to catch me up in terms of they are studying my game, they study how I play, trying to beat me, trying to challenge me,” he said. “I have to be ready for that, and I have to see where my level is, where my tennis is. I have to try to put myself in their minds and think what they could do when playing against me.“So that’s what I mean about saying I have to improve some things. “Obviously, you cannot be lagging in the level, you just have to keep it going,” he explained. Prior to arriving in Doha, Alcaraz enjoyed a short stopover in Bahrain where he met fellow Spaniards superstars Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz at an F1 pre-season testing week. 

Carlos Alcaraz has an easy charm and broad Tom Cruise-like smile, but underneath the cool exterior is a highly driven individual laser-focused on setting records. The 22-year-old did just that on Sunday, beating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final to become the youngest man to win all four majors, surpassing the legendary Rafael Nadal. Fellow Spaniard Nadal, who was at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne to witness it, was 24 when he completed the career Grand Slam. Alcaraz has immense respect for Nadal and Djokovic, but the world number one’s hero growing up was Roger Federer. “Federer, the class he had, the way he got people to see tennis, that was beautiful,” Alcaraz, who has now won seven majors, said in 2023. “Watching Federer is like looking at a work of art. It’s elegance, he did everything magnificently. I became enchanted by him.” Alcaraz shares plenty of the same attributes - daring, range, tactical flexibility, and style. The modest, muscular star from the small town of El Palmar in Spain’s southeast hit the giant-killing jackpot at Madrid in 2022 when he became the only man to defeat both Nadal and Djokovic at the same clay-court event. For good measure, he achieved it on back-to-back days on his way to the title. When he won his maiden Slam, at the US Open the same year, he became the youngest champion of a men’s major since Nadal at the 2005 French Open. He was also the youngest man to ascend to the world number one ranking. His Roland Garros coronation in 2024 ensured he was the youngest to win Grand Slam titles on clay, grass and hard courts. Ominously, Alcaraz is still getting better and he has developed nerves of steel, refusing to give up when the odds are stacked against him. He demonstrated that never-say-die attitude in his semi-final in Melbourne against Alexander Zverev, battling through cramp and a 3-5 deficit in the fifth set to pull off a huge win. “I just hate giving up. I just don’t want to feel that way,” he said. “When I was younger there were a lot of matches that I just didn’t want to fight anymore or I just gave up. “Then I just got mature, and I just hate that feeling (losing). “Every step more, every one second more of suffering, one second more of fighting is always worth it,” he added. Nadal heir apparentAt his side for most of his career was coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2003 French Open winner, before they split late last year. Ferrero brought Alcaraz into his academy in Valencia, 120km from El Palmar. His raw potential soon attracted sponsors, with marquee brands such as Nike and Rolex rushing to sign up Nadal’s heir apparent. The tennis team around the prodigy was expanded and soon included a physical trainer, a physiotherapist and the support of psychologists and doctors. An indication of his potential was obvious at the Rio clay-court event in 2020 when he was just 16, and ranked 406 in the world. He shocked Albert Ramos-Vinolas to register his first ATP win, and it set him on the path to superstardom. Alcaraz, who learned the game at a tennis school run by his father, captured his maiden ATP trophy in 2021. Fiercely protective of his private life, he has many of the same friends he hung out with as a child. He played doubles with Emma Raducanu at last year’s US Open, setting tongues wagging, but the British player has insisted they are “just good friends”. Alcaraz’s off-court interests include golf and football, and he is a big Real Madrid fan. Another hobby is chess, which he has said helps him in his day job. “I love chess. Having to concentrate, to play against someone else, strategy, having to think ahead. “I think all of that is very similar to the tennis court,” he said in a 2023 Vogue interview. “You have to intuit where the other player is going to send the ball, you have to move ahead of time, and try to do something that will make him uncomfortable.“So I play it a lot.” 

Carlos Alcaraz sizzled under the bright lights at the Australian Open and blazed into the semi-finals on Tuesday after fellow top seed Aryna ‌Sabalenka remained cool in the unforgiving Melbourne heat to stay on course for another title. Alexander Zverev ‌was briefly made to sweat under the ‍roof of Rod Laver Arena before overcoming Learner Tien, but a frustrated Coco Gauff unravelled in a racket-smashing meltdown following a stunning defeat by the resurgent ⁠Elina Svitolina.That preceded Alcaraz's dominant 7-5 6-2 6-1 victory over Alex ⁠de Minaur on the main showcourt, as the Spaniard dashed his sixth-seeded opponent's hopes of ending a five-decade Australian wait ‍for a homegrown men's champion.The 22-year-old - a six-times major winner - is seeking his own piece of history at Melbourne Park, where he can eclipse Don Budge and become the youngest man to lift all four Grand Slam trophies."It was a great match in terms of level, in terms of the intensity. I played the best match so far in the tournament," Alcaraz told reporters."This is my first official tournament of the year and sometimes I'm not that patient. In the first match I really wanted to play at my best level. This is almost impossible. You have ‌to get the rhythm of the competition again."Sabalenka, chasing her third title in four years, also got into a high gear for a dominant 6-3 6-0 win over 18-year-old Iva Jovic on a sweltering Centre Court, where the roof was open with the "Heat Stress Scale" not at its ‍highest threshold. Shortly after her victory, though, ⁠tournament organisers invoked the extreme ‌heat policy as temperatures crossed the 40 Celsius (104F) mark, prompting the suspension of play on the outer courts and the closure of roofs on the main ones."It was hot out there. I guess as women, we are stronger than the guys, so they had to close the roof for the guys, so they don't suffer," Sabalenka joked."I knew going into this match they won't let us play in crazy heat. If it would reach five (on the Heat Stress Scale) they would close the roof." The four-times Grand Slam champion was less pleased with the Australian Open's ban on wearable fitness tracking devices after some players were told to remove them before matches.SERVICE WOESUp next for Sabalenka is Ukrainian 12th seed Svitolina, who took full advantage of Gauff's woes on serve and reached her first Australian Open semi-final with a 6-1 6-2 victory in under an hour."It was a good day in ​the office," said Svitolina, who is finding her ‌best form after a mental health break last year."Very pleased with the way that I've been playing, not only this match, but I think the tournament overall."Gauff later looked for ⁠a place without cameras to channel her frustration and ‍was unhappy to find out that a video of her obliteratingher racket on a concrete floor inside Melbourne Park was broadcast to viewers worldwide."I kind of have a thing with the broadcasters," she said."I feel like certain moments - the same thing happened to Aryna after I played her in final of the U.S. Open in 2023. I feel like they don't need to broadcast it."While Gauff battled through her own storm, Melbourne Park wilted earlier as the temperature touched 45 Celsius at around 4.30 p.m. and ​fans were largely absent from concourses across the usually buzzing venue.The day session attendance was 21,226, less than half Monday's 50,010 for the corresponding session. The decision to close the roof made conditions easier for the players, but Zverev was unable to get into his comfort zone against Tien, losing the second set to the American and being taken to a tiebreak in the fourth. Despite being tested, Zverev said he was confident he could get past Tien in what he called perfect conditions."It's great. I would love to play with the roof every single match, so it was not difficult," he said. "It was difficult physically, but it was not difficult with the conditions." The German third seed, runner-up to Jannik Sinner ⁠last year, secured a 6-3 6-7(5) 6-1 7-6(3) victory to stay on course for a first Grand Slam trophy but the path will get tougher with Alcaraz up next. 

World number one Carlos Alcaraz arrives in ‌Melbourne with only one mission in mind - claim a first ‌Australian Open title to become ‍the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.The 22-year-old already owns titles at Roland Garros, ⁠Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and ⁠victory at Melbourne Park would see him eclipse Don Budge, who wrapped up ‍the career Slam two days before his 23rd birthday by winning the 1938 French Open."I would rather win my first Australian Open than retain my French Open and U.S. Open titles next year,” Alcaraz, who turns 23 on May 5, said in November.A first Melbourne triumph would be the Spaniard's seventh Grand Slam crown overall, making him the first men's player ‌to do so before his 23rd birthday.Yet for all Alcaraz's global success, Australia has been a curious blank on his resume. His run to the quarter-finals in each ‍of the past two seasons is ⁠the furthest he ‌has advanced.This year’s campaign carries an added layer of intrigue following his abrupt split with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former world number one who guided Alcaraz from teenager to multiple Grand Slam champion over seven years.The breakup has been tennis's biggest talking point in the new season, with neither party elaborating on the reasons behind it.Whether Alcaraz will be affected without Ferrero in his corner is one of the tournament’s central questions.He enjoyed the best season of his career in 2025, winning two Grand Slam titles and reclaiming the world number one ​ranking, but Melbourne will be ‌the first proper test of his new setup under intense pressure.Ferrero helped shape Alcaraz's strategy to deal with ⁠arch-rival Jannik Sinner, who took ‍his Wimbledon crown in 2025.The pair had a two-week training camp focusing on how to break down the Italian before Alcaraz beat him in the U.S. Open final in four sets.Despite that result, defending Australian Open champion Sinner is the favourite at Melbourne Park, rated slightly ahead of Alcaraz by bookmakers.Alcaraz's improved serve ​and variation in his game proved key to overcoming Sinner at the U.S. Open but the Italian will have made his own adjustments for the new season.Apart from Sinner, it is hard to imagine any other players capable of stopping Alcaraz.Novak Djokovic knocked him out of last year's quarter-finals but the 38-year-old Serb was no match in their last meeting, losing in three sets in the U.S. Open semi-finals.Conquering Melbourne would see Alcaraz cross his last frontier ⁠in men’s tennis while setting the stage for a first tilt at the coveted calendar Grand Slam. 

Carlos Alcaraz beat his great rival Jannik Sinner 7-5 7-6(8) to win their Hyundai Card ‌Super Match exhibition event in Incheon, South Korea, on Saturday that ‌marked the start of the ‍season for the world's top two men's tennis players.There was little to separate the two during ⁠the entertaining clash, with world number ⁠one Alcaraz squeaking ahead towards the end of both sets to clinch the ‍win."We all need the support from the fans. So having the support and feeling the love from the people was necessary for me to perform my best and play great tennis like I did today," Alcaraz said.In their press conference on Friday, Sinner said the match would not be a true indicator of their levels heading into the new season and that ‌both players would focus on entertaining spectators.It was a promise they lived up to, as the largely light-hearted hit-around unsurprisingly lacked the intensity that has characterised their previous meetings ‍on the sport's biggest stages.The ⁠pair mixed up ‌their game with an array of trick shots and engaged in a number of memorable rallies to keep fans at the Inspire Arena on the edge of their seats, with Sinner allowing a child in the stands to play a point for him in the second set.EXHIBITION EVENTSIt was an entertaining display from both players, who are no strangers to putting on a show at exhibition events.Sinner and Alcaraz competed in the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament in Riyadh in 2024 and 2025, with the Italian winning in the final on both occasions.Alcaraz has defended his ​decision to play in such ‌lucrative events despite previously saying he would consider skipping ATP Tour events to prioritise his health in a crowded ⁠schedule, saying they provide relief ‍from the grind of the tour.The Spaniard has also admitted there are considerable financial incentives to playing exhibition events, saying last year the prize money on offer was a motivation for playing in the Six Kings Slam.With the exhibition match wrapped up, the serious business starts for Sinner and Alcaraz, who will now shift ​their attention to the Australian Open.The two have much at stake in the season's opening Grand Slam, which begins at Melbourne Park on January 18, with Sinner looking to win a third straight Australian Open title and Alcaraz chasing a career Grand Slam."It was an entertaining match, that's why we came here and obviously now the main goal is in Australia," Sinner said."At the end of the day, exhibition matches are different, you are a bit more relaxed ⁠and also entertaining the crowd a little bit more with different shots and different actions on court." 

World number one Carlos Alcaraz came under extreme pressure before overcoming American Taylor Fritz 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3 in a thrilling round-robin match at the ATP Finals Tuesday, leaving the Spaniard on two wins from two.Last year’s finalist Fritz played the tennis of his life, as both men served up the best encounter of the season-ending championships so far, but the American ran out of steam as Alcaraz turned on the style and took the deciding set with ease.Alcaraz and Fritz had won their opening Jimmy Connors Group matches, and the Spaniard looked in real trouble when the American took the opening set in a tiebreak. Alcaraz faced break points in the second set but rallied back to draw level.Fritz began to tire, and Alcaraz broke to lead 4-2 in the final set before wrapping up the win in two hours and 48 minutes by serving out to love.“It was pretty tight, I was struggling more than him in the first set,” Alcaraz said. “I wasn’t serving well, and I think he was pretty comfortable from the baseline, from everywhere.”Alcaraz will be assured of a semi-final place if Alex de Minaur defeats Lorenzo Musetti in the evening match. He also needs one more victory to guarantee the year-ending world number one spot, and will face Musetti Thursday.“I try not to think about it to be honest,” Alcaraz said.“Obviously it’s going to be a really big match for me. I’ll try to control the emotions, to control myself.”Tuesday’s clash was a battle from the opening game, with Fritz taking nine minutes to hold after hitting three aces but also facing two break points. The American forced three break points in the next game before the pair traded breaks.Fritz raced into a 5-2 lead in the tiebreak and smashed two aces to take the set. At 2-2 in the second, Alcaraz was rattled, his drop shots which earlier beat Fritz began to fall short but, after losing advantage five times, the Spaniard held on.Alcaraz got lucky with a shot that hit the net but crept over in the final game of the second set and broke to take the match to a third, where Alcaraz outclassed an exhausted Fritz.“I was really relieved after the win because of everything I went through during the match,” Alcaraz said aft.“I wasn’t feeling the ball as well as I was in the first round, but I’m really happy that I found a way to come back.”Two fans die on second day of ATP FinalsTwo spectators died from cardiac arrests during the second day of the ATP Finals at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, the Italian Tennis Federation (FITP) and the ATP said Tuesday.The individuals were aged 70 and 78 and the incidents occurred at different times on Monday. The first singles match between Italian Lorenzo Musetti and Taylor Fritz was delayed, with an announcement made regarding a medical situation in the arena.“The Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP) and the ATP express their deepest condolences following the tragic passing of two spectators Tuesday during the ATP Finals in Turin,” a joint statement said Tuesday.“On-site medical and emergency personnel responded immediately, providing all possible assistance. Despite prompt intervention and subsequent transfer to hospital, unfortunately, both sadly passed away.”The season-ending championships have been held at the Turin arena since 2021, with the Italian city confirmed as host for 2026.The ATP Finals will remain in Italy until 2030.Large crowds were at the arena on Monday when along with Musetti, Italian fans were out in force to cheer on defending champion Jannik Sinner who defeated Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Carlos Alcaraz won his eighth title of a sensational season in Tokyo and then pulled out of the Shanghai Masters because of “physical issues” and took aim at tennis’ packed schedule.The Spanish world number one hurt his ankle in his opening match at the Japan Open but shrugged off the issue to beat American Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in the final. But immediately after downing the world number five, the six-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz took aim at the tennis calendar.“The schedule is really tight. They have to do something with the schedule,” the recently crowned US Open champion told reporters in the Japanese capital, echoing the sentiments this week of fellow major champions Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.Alcaraz subsequently wrote on Instagram that he will not play at the prestigious Shanghai Masters starting this week. “Unfortunately I’ve been struggling with some physical issues and, after discussing with my team, we believe the best decision is to rest and recover,” the 22-year-old wrote.Alcaraz injured his ankle last week in Tokyo as he ran for a shot, crumpling to the ground and sitting on the court for about five minutes. He returned to play with heavy strapping on his ankle and has admitted that the injury had been on his mind throughout the tournament. It did not appear to bother him against Fritz, as he gave another breathtaking display to lift the trophy in his first appearance in Japan.He clinched victory with a cleverly disguised drop shot before strolling to the net to give Fritz a warm embrace. The win gave Alcaraz a measure of revenge after losing to Fritz for the first time at the Laver Cup in San Francisco two weeks ago.The number of matches in the men’s and women’s tennis calendar has been a major talking point in recent years, with players such as Novak Djokovic cutting back the tournaments they compete in as they near the end of their careers. Gauff called for shorter seasons and said it was “impossible” to play more than she already does, after Swiatek also hit out at the number of tournaments. They were speaking at the China Open, where five players retired injured from matches on Monday.“With more and more events being two weeks it just doesn’t really make sense to strain your body,” the American Gauff said after emerging unscathed to reach the quarter-finals. “I would like to see in my lifetime on tour that a solution be made to make the season shorter,” the 21-year-old world number three added.Gauff, the defending China Open champion and two-time major winner, weighed in after top seed Swiatek said on Monday she may skip mandatory tournaments to protect her health. Starting last year, the Women’s Tennis Association made it mandatory for top players to participate in each Grand Slam, 10 WTA 1000 events – which includes Beijing – and six 500-level tournaments.“I guess on a business standpoint, it can kind of make sense, but on a player health standpoint, I don’t really agree with it,” Gauff said. “I’ve basically played as much tennis as I possibly can.”Poland’s world number two Swiatek called the WTA’s mandatory requirements “pretty crazy”. In Tokyo, Alcaraz said he too would look at skipping mandatory tournaments on the men’s ATP Tour.“We as tennis players, we are not allowed to have a choice if we have to play or not,” he said following his convincing two-set win over Fritz. “To be honest, I have to consider in the future if I have to skip some mandatory tournaments just to maintain my physical condition in a good shape.”Daniil Medvedev retired injured from his China Open semi-final Tuesday.

Carlos Alcaraz said he had to go on the offensive to protect his injured ankle after beating Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday to reach the Japan Open semi-finals.The world number one hurt himself during his opening match in Tokyo and he admitted after his next outing that the injury had worried him and was on his mind on the court.The Spaniard again played with strapping showing above his left sock but it did not appear to trouble him as he brushed aside American world number 33 Nakashima with a brutal display of power tennis.Alcaraz will face Norway's world number 12 Casper Ruud in Monday's semi-finals and he said he was "still thinking about the ankle"."I had to play more aggressive than normal because I just want to let him run much more than I do in the match," said Alcaraz."You can see that there are some times that I can't go as fast as I want, I'm just taking care about the steps I'm doing in the match."That's why sometimes I was playing really big shots, because I didn't want to run from side to side," he added.Alcaraz had his service broken three times in his previous night's win over Belgium's Zizou Bergs.He gave Nakashima no such help and did not face any break points as he stayed on the front foot all match.Alcaraz is playing in Japan for the first time and he treated the crowd to some outrageous shots that grew gasps from the packed stands."First of all, I'm a huge fan of tennis, and seeing these kinds of shots, if it comes from me or not, I just enjoy," said Alcaraz."Tonight there were a few of them that I was like 'that was a really good one'."Alcaraz said the love he is receiving from the Tokyo crowd is mutual."Really grateful and really happy with the atmosphere that they're creating," he said."I just try to play in a style that I like them to be entertained watching the match."Alcaraz's semi-final opponent Ruud beat Australian qualifier Aleksandar Vukic 6-3, 6-2.World number five Taylor Fritz will play fellow American Jenson Brooksby in the other semi-final.Fritz, the number two seed, came through a tough quarter-final against another American, Sebastian Korda, winning 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3.Brooksby beat the number three seed, Denmark's Holger Rune, 6-3, 6-3.Fritz, who beat Alcaraz this month at the Laver Cup, said he had struggled with the weather in Tokyo, with temperatures around 27C for his late morning match."I wasn't expecting it to be that hot and humid," he said."Tough to play in that heat and play a lot of physical, long points."