Tennis

Roger Federer and his wife Mirka have donated 1m Swiss francs (£857,000) “for the most vulnerable families in Switzerland” and have called on others to add their support. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Switzerland has imposed a ban on all private and public events and has closed all non-essential businesses until at least 19 April. “These are challenging times for ...

The All England Club says a decision regarding this year’s Wimbledon will be made next week. In a statement on Wednesday, the club said postponement and cancellation of the event, scheduled between 29 June-12 July, because of the impact of coronavirus were possible outcomes. Playing behind closed doors has been formally ruled out. Earlier this month, the French Open, due ...

The suspension of the professional tennis tours because of coronavirus has been extended to 7 June, ruling out the entire clay-court season. The ATP and WTA Tours were already off until 27 April and 2 May respectively. The extension covers joint tournaments in Madrid and Rome, plus women’s events in Strasbourg and Rabat and men’s events in Munich, Estoril, Geneva ...

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed the French Open to September 20, according to organisers, who added that it would then conclude on October 4. The Grand Slam event was to have taken place from May 24 to June 7, but organisers said Tuesday: “The current confinement measures have made it impossible for us to continue with our preparations and, as ...

ISLAMABAD:Pakistan beat Slovenia 3-0 in Davis Cup World Group-I play-offs here at Pakistan sports Complex on Monday. In first Singles, tennis ace Aisam-ul-Haq warded off challenge from Nik Razborsek and defeated him in an exciting three-set thriller. After losing first set 4-6, Aisam came back from behind strongly to take next two sets by a 7-5, 7-6 scoreline. In the ...

Rafael Nadal’s first two titles at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC (2005, 2013) were clinched on red clay. The top-seeded Spaniard completed his Acapulco hat trick on a hard court with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory against American Taylor Fritz. ”I couldn’t be happier. I played a great event from the beginning to the end,” Nadal said. “Acapulco ...

PARIS: Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova, one of the world´s most recognisable and highest-paid sportswomen, on Wednesday announced her retirement at the age of 32. “Tennis – I´m saying goodbye,” Sharapova said in an article for Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines. “After 28 years and five Grand Slam titles, though, I´m ready to scale another mountain – to compete ...

PARIS: Roger Federer has undergone surgery to resolve a longstanding knee problem and said Thursday he would be out of action until after the French Open while his rivals backed the 38-year-old to return as strong as ever. The 20-times Grand Slam winner revealed on his Facebook account that he underwent surgery in Switzerland on Wednesday and would miss a ...

DUBAI: Sofia Kenin lost her first WTA match since winning the Australian Open earlier this month as she went down 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-3 to Elena Rybakina on Tuesday at the Dubai Championships. World number seven Kenin´s loss completed a hat-trick of seeded upsets on the fourth day of action in the United Arab Emirates. Title holder Belinda Bencic was ...

Great Britain will travel to Mexico in April for a Fed Cup play-off tie that they must win to avoid relegation. They failed to reach this year’s inaugural Fed Cup Finals, losing a qualifying to Slovakia last weekend. If they win in Mexico they will get the chance to qualify for the 2021 Finals but if they lose they will ...