Anhelina Kalinina is into the first WTA 1000 final of her career but the Ukrainian refused to shake the hand of Russian opponent Veronika Kudermetova after a hard-fought match at the Italian Open.

Kalinina held her nerve after being taken to a decider to record a 7-5 5-7 6-2 victory in two hours and 51 minutes over the 11th seed and will next face Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in the showpiece.

The 30th seed snubbed Kudermetova at the net in the latest example of a Ukrainian tennis player shunning post-match tradition towards a Russian because of the ongoing conflict between the countries.

“We didn’t shake hands because the girl is from Russia basically,” Kalinina said. “It’s no secret why I didn’t shake, because this country actually attacks Ukraine.

“This is sport, I understand, but it’s also kind of politician thing. It is nothing personal. But in general, yes, it’s not acceptable.”

Wimbledon champion Rybakina beat Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4 in a rain-interrupted match, battling back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set to win five games on the spin.

“I’m happy to win,” Rybakina said. “It was a really tough day overall with all the rain delays. I came without any expectation because I knew the other years were really tough for me playing here.

“I’m just happy that I got so many matches now before the French Open.”

Simona Halep has been charged with a second anti-doping violation over “irregularities in her athlete biological passport”.

The former world number one and Wimbledon champion has been provisionally suspended since October last year after testing positive for the blood-boosting drug Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open.

Last month Halep criticised the delay in her case, but the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Friday the Romanian had been charged with a “further and separate breach of the tennis anti-doping programme” after an independent assessment of her athlete biological passport.

Nicole Sapstead, senior director for anti-doping at the ITIA, said in a statement: “We understand this announcement adds complexity to an already high-profile situation.

“From the outset of this process – and indeed any other at the ITIA – we have remained committed to engaging with Ms Halep in an empathetic, efficient, and timely manner.

“We do, of course, appreciate there is a great deal of media interest in these cases.

“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on specifics until the conclusion of the process, but we will continue to engage with the Sport Resolutions independent tribunal and Ms Halep’s representatives as expeditiously as possible.”

Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas will clash in the semi-finals of the Italian Open in Rome.

Both eased through their quarter-finals on Thursday, with third seed Medvedev, who had never won a match at the Foro Italico prior to the start of the tournament, ending the run of qualifier Yannick Hanfmann with a 6-2 6-2 victory.

“I remember sitting here before the tournament and saying how good I felt in practice,” the Russian told reporters in the Italian capital.

“It’s always tricky because then you can lose first round against a great opponent and you’re going to be like, ‘Yeah, well, why did I say this? Better shut up.’ That’s how I felt. I’m happy I managed to transfer this onto the tennis court.”

Tsitsipas had to wait until the night session to take on Borna Coric, and the Greek produced a fine display to see off the 15th seed 6-3 6-4.

It will be a 12th meeting between regular rivals Tsitsipas and Medvedev. Medvedev leads 7-4 but Tsitsipas has won the last two and also beat the Russian at the French Open two years ago.

Iga Swiatek is optimistic of being fit to defend her title at the French Open.

On the day her fellow champion Rafael Nadal announced he would not be in Paris this year, Swiatek gave a more upbeat assessment of her own prospects after withdrawing during her Italian Open quarter-final.

The Pole sustained a right thigh problem during her clash with Elena Rybakina and called it a day at 2-2 in the deciding set in Rome.

Writing on Twitter on Thursday, Swiatek said: “Quick update. A couple of days off for sure. And booking my flight to Paris, so… fingers crossed, please! Hopefully, see you soon.”

The world number one was on a 14-match winning streak in Rome having won the title the previous two years.

Fitness permitting, she will still go into the French Open as the title favourite but her lead over the rest of the women’s field has narrowed, with Aryna Sabalenka and Rybakina both ahead of her in the 2023 standings.

Sabalenka, who beat Swiatek to win the Madrid Open earlier this month, has never been beyond the third round in Paris but winning the title could see her overtake her rival to become world number one.

Rafael Nadal admitted he is staring at the end of his tennis career after announcing he will miss the French Open and the majority of the season ahead of what he expects to be a farewell tour in 2024.

The 22-time grand-slam champion has not played since his second-round exit at the Australian Open in January.

Nadal struggled with a hip injury during the straight-sets defeat to Mackenzie McDonald and the ongoing issue has failed to recover sufficiently in order for the 36-year-old to chase a 15th title at Roland Garros.

It means the Spaniard, who has only lost three matches on the Parisian clay, will miss the tournament for the first time since 2004 but he admitted during a press conference at his academy in Manacor that it feels the only option.

The 14-time French Open champion now plans to rest for the coming months with the aim to recover so he can play at “important tournaments” in 2024 during what will be his final year on the ATP Tour.

“My goal and my ambition is to try and stop and give myself an opportunity to enjoy the next year that will probably be my last year in the professional tour,” Nadal told reporters.

“That is my idea but I can’t say 100 per cent it will be like this, but my idea and my motivation is to try to enjoy and say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important for me.

“To enjoy being competitive and something that today is not possible. I believe, if I keep going now, I will not be able to make it happen.”

On next week’s French Open, Nadal explained: “First thing, I’m not going to be able to play in Roland Garros.

“I was even working as much as possible every single day for the last four months, they have been very difficult months because we were not able to find a solution to the problems I had in Australia.

“Today I’m still in a position where I am not able to feel myself ready to compete at the standards I need to be to play Roland Garros.

“I am not the guy who will be at Roland Garros just to play.”

Nadal claimed brilliant victories at the Australian Open and French Open last year but was fighting his body, with a chronic foot problem, fractured rib and an abdominal strain that forced him out of Wimbledon keeping him off the court for spells prior to this latest injury.

His withdrawal from the French Open had appeared increasingly inevitable but the news he will also sit out Wimbledon, and almost certainly the US Open as well, is a major blow to the sport, which must now prepare to say goodbye to the Spaniard having seen his great rival Roger Federer bow out last autumn.

Nadal suggested he might try to turn out for Spain at the Davis Cup later this year, while a major target in 2024 will be the Olympic Games in Paris, with the tennis events being played at Roland Garros next summer.

“After a couple of years that in terms of results have been positive because I was able to win a couple of grand slams and important tournaments, the real situation is I was not able to enjoy my diary work,” Nadal said.

“Since after the pandemic, my body was not able to do the practice or diary work in a good way so I was not able to enjoy the practice and competition because too many problems, too many times having to stop for physical conditions and too many days off not practising because of too much pain.

“I need to stop for a while. My position is to stop and I don’t know when I can come back to the practice court.

“I will stop for a while, maybe one month, maybe two months, maybe three months. I am a guy who doesn’t like to predict too much the future. I am following what I believe is the right thing to do for my body and my personal happiness.

“I don’t want to say one thing and do the other. It is better to hold the options open and see what is the best calendar possible.

“I would like to play the things that are important for me and of course the Olympic Games is an important competition and one I hope to play. Will it be my last or not? I cannot say.”

Nadal’s compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, who will be the top seed for the French Open, sent his best wishes on Twitter, saying: “Good luck Rafael! Very painful and sad for everyone that you can’t be at Roland Garros or play more this year, but I hope that 2024 will be a great season for you and that you can say goodbye like the great champion you are.”

Alcaraz will now lead the favourites at Roland Garros along with Novak Djokovic, who can claim the outright men’s record for slam singles titles if he wins a 23rd.

Speaking on Amazon Prime Video, former British number one Tim Henman said: “I think the real positive is that he is prepared to give it one last effort, and that’s what Rafa’s always been about, giving 100 per cent to everything he’s doing.

“And fingers crossed he can find that physical wellbeing to be back out on tour. If 2024 is his last year then I really hope that he can enjoy it and I hope we can enjoy it and the fans can enjoy it because he deserves that send-off.”

Rafael Nadal will be absent from next week’s French Open and has signalled his intention to retire in 2024.

The 22-time grand-slam champion has not played since his second-round exit at the Australian Open in January.

Nadal struggled with a hip injury during the straight sets defeat to Mackenzie McDonald and the ongoing issue has failed to recover sufficiently in order for the 36-year-old to feature at Roland Garros.

It means the Spaniard will miss the tournament for the first time since 2004 but he admitted during a press conference at his academy in Manacor that it feels the only option to prolong his career.

The 14-time French Open champion now plans to rest for the coming months with the aim to recover so he can play at “important tournaments” in 2024 during what will be his final year on the ATP Tour.

“My goal and my ambition is to try and stop and give myself an opportunity to enjoy the next year that will probably be my last year in the professional tour,” Nadal told a press conference.

“That is my idea but I can’t say 100 per cent it will be like this but my idea and my motivation is to try to enjoy and say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important for me.

“To enjoy being competitive and something that today is not possible. I believe if I keep going now, I will not be able to make it happen.”

On next week’s French Open, Nadal explained: “First thing I’m not going to be able to play in Roland Garros.

“I was even working as much as possible every single day for the last four months, they have been very difficult months because we were not able to find a solution to the problems I had in Australia.

“Today I’m still in a position where I am not able to feel myself ready to compete at the standards I need to be to play Roland Garros.

“I am not the guy who will be at Roland Garros just to play.”

Rafael Nadal will address reports he is set to pull out of the French Open at a press conference on Thursday.

Nadal pulled out of the Italian Open in Rome as he continues to manage the hip injury he suffered at the Australian Open.

The Spaniard had hoped to be fit by the start of the clay-court season, but last month revealed the treatment he had been having had not worked.

Nadal has never gone into the French Open, which he has won 14 times, without at least one warm-up event on clay.

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There will be a press conference at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, Mallorca at 1500BST on Thursday, where an announcement is expected on the 36-year-old’s plans for Roland Garros.

“If he plays [the French Open] or not and the reasons either way will only be communicated tomorrow,” a statement from the player’s representatives read.

Speaking on Twitter about his decision to pull out of the Rome Open, Nadal said: “Despite having noticed an improvement in recent days, there have been many months without having been able to train at a high level and the re-adaptation process has its time, and I have no choice but to accept it and continue working.”

Andy Murray slumped to a 6-3 6-0 defeat against Stan Wawrinka in the second round of the ATP Challenger Tour event in Bordeaux.

Murray’s poor run on clay-court Masters 1000 events had continued when he was knocked out of the Italian Open in the first round by Fabio Fognini.

The Scot, though, had enjoyed success earlier this month at a second-tier tournament in Aix-en-Provence, where he won his first title since 2019.

Murray, who turned 36 on Monday, was seeded second and received a first-round bye, but found himself in a stacked bottom half in the Bordeaux draw which also included fellow three-time grand slam champion Wawrinka.

The veteran Swiss, who won the 2015 French Open, forced a break in the fourth game before holding to lead 4-1.

Although Murray saved several set-points on his next serve, Wawrinka soon closed out the set.

Murray’s serve faltered again at the start of the second set, with Wawrinka twice breaking to lead 3-0.

Wawrinka, 38, maintained the pressure to break Murray again in the fifth game.

Although Murray forced a break point chance of his own in the next, he was then again frustrated by a line call as Wawrinka recovered to serve out for the match and complete what was a straightforward victory in one hour and 17 minutes.

Murray – who has only played at Roland Garros once since 2017 – is expected to soon decide whether to compete on clay in Paris, potentially for the last time, or begin his preparations early for the grass-court season as he looks towards Wimbledon.

Rafael Nadal missing the French Open this year would be a huge disappointment, though Emmanuel Cruze would prefer to look on the bright side.

Cruze is the head of the Villa Primrose Club, the host of the Bordeaux Challenger event, which Nadal declined an invitation to as he continues his recovery from injury.

The 36-year-old has not played since going out in the second round of the Australian Open in January.

Nadal has since dropped to 14th in the ATP rankings, and it is not yet clear if he will be fit to feature at Roland Garros, where he won a record-extending 14th French Open title last year.

However, Cruze told Stats Perform that while it would be sad to see Nadal miss the season's second major, it might signal a changing of the guard in Paris.

"We would all be very disappointed for the tournament, but maybe it will be a new era that will open for all the players, and especially you are talking about Spanish players," said Cruze.

"We need to keep in mind that [Carlos] Alcaraz is really performing extremely well, and is still very young also.

"Is he the future Nadal? We don't know, but definitely if Nadal is not playing at the French Open, it will be much more open for all other players.

"[It will be exciting] for the tournament itself, because if he's there and in good shape, people will say 'Okay, Nadal will win another title, and it's going to be boring'.

"We are not sure that he will be able to play the French Open and then for the next generation it's really something that will be very important for them, to be able to play the French without the pressure of Nadal."

Cruze is unsure if Nadal would be among the favourites even if he mustered a comeback in time for the tournament, which begins on May 29.

"He is over 30 and it's always more and more difficult to come back after a major injury, we have seen with [Roger] Federer, he wants to try to come back and win Wimbledon for the last time and finally was unable to do so because when you are out for six months and you are over 30, I think it's really difficult," he said.

"But [Nadal] is such a character and such a fantastic player [that] you never know. You never know. I'm not a doctor, I'm in the wine business so nothing to do with that, even if wine sometimes helps!"

As for Nadal's legacy in France, Cruze believes there should be a permanent tribute to the 22-time grand slam champion at Roland Garros.

"I think as soon as Nadal retires, he almost deserves a statue, because he is a legend," Cruze added.

"How could you imagine winning 14 times at the French Open, which probably is one of the most difficult [surfaces] because you're playing on clay courts, you spend sometimes three or four hours on the court, which is not the same on grass or on hard courts, so I think for French tennis lovers, he will be a legend for years.

"He's a legend, but normally with a legend, it is because you stopped your career, but he is already a legend, even if he is still playing."

Looking to the future, Cruze sees Nadal's compatriot Alcaraz as a possible heir apparent.

"I've never seen him physically, only on TV and that's it, but he's a very young guy and is performing extremely well," Cruze said of the world number two.

"I don't know about on grass, but for hard courts, he seems to be fine, so if he's fine with a hard court, he would normally be a good player on grass, so yeah he could be the next legend, why not? But so far the real [legend] is still Rafael Nadal, up until he retires."

Holger Rune upset world number one Novak Djokovic to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open.

The 20-year-old Dane came through 6-2 4-6 6-2 against the defending champion in a rain-hit encounter in Rome.

Seventh seed Rune raced through the opening set in 39 minutes before Djokovic was seen to by the physio early in the second and given some medication before the weather forced play to be suspended.

Top seed Djokovic – who beat Britain’s Cameron Norrie in a feisty fourth-round match – levelled the match soon after the resumption, but it was Rune who pulled clear in the decider.

Rune, making his tournament debut, opened a 4-0 lead after a double break before closing out the match for successive victories in his matches against the Serbian.

“It’s really a big win for me,” Rune said in his on-court interview.

“Obviously I did it last year in Paris as well, but every match is a huge challenge for me when I play against Novak.

“He is one of the greatest that’s ever played the game. I knew I had to be at my best and I said it yesterday, and I was today.

“I am super proud of myself and I enjoyed every moment out there, but I stay humble of course. I have a lot to achieve.”

Nick Kyrgios is expected to be fit for the grass-court season as he continues his recovery from knee surgery.

The 28-year-old is yet to play a match this season, having pulled out of the Australian Open on the verge of the tournament with a cyst in his left knee that required an operation.

The hope at that point was he could be fit to return in Indian Wells at the start of March but, more than two months on, Kyrgios is still working his way back.

 

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A vocal hater of clay, he had planned to play the French Open for the first time since 2017, citing his girlfriend’s wish to go to Paris, but he will not be ready in time.

The PA news agency understands Kyrgios is, though, on course to be fit for his favourite part of the season, the grass-court swing, and could make his return at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart beginning on June 12.

Last year Kyrgios had the best season of his career, establishing himself as a grand slam contender and reaching his first singles final at Wimbledon, where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic.

The Australian also reached the quarter-finals of the US Open before pulling out of his most recent tournament in Tokyo last October with knee pain.

Novak Djokovic accused Cameron Norrie of unsportsmanlike behaviour after a frosty encounter in the fourth round of the Italian Open.

The world number one ultimately eased to 6-3 6-4 victory but there was a flashpoint where Norrie hit Djokovic with a smash, and the handshake at the net lacked any warmth.

The main talking point came in the fourth game of the second set as Norrie sought to retrieve an early break.

Djokovic turned his back on the play after presenting his opponent with an easy overhead, only for Norrie, seemingly unintentionally, to drill the ball into the Serbian’s legs, who responded with an extremely hard stare.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Djokovic was less bothered by that incident than Norrie’s overall demeanour coupled with a medical timeout he took prior to the final game.

“I did watch the replay when he hit me,” said the six-time champion. “Maybe you could say he didn’t hit me deliberately. I don’t know if he saw me.

“I mean, (in your peripheral vision) you can always see where the player is positioned on the court. The ball was super slow and super close to the net. I just turned around because the point was over for me.

“It was not so much maybe about that, but it was a combination of things. From the very beginning, he was doing all the things that were allowed. He’s allowed to take a medical timeout. He’s allowed to hit a player. He’s allowed to say ‘C’mon’ in the face more or less every single point.

“Those are the things that we players know in the locker room it’s not fair play, it’s not how we treat each other.

“I got along with Cameron really well all these years that he’s been on the tour. Practised with each other. He’s a very nice guy off the court, so I don’t understand this kind of attitude on the court, to be honest.

“But it is what it is. He brought the fire, and I responded to that. I’m not going to allow someone behaving like this just bending my head. I’m going to respond to that. That’s all it is. What happens on the court, we leave it on the court, and we move on.”

Norrie, who had lost both his previous meetings with Djokovic, dropped serve at the start of the contest and was kept at arm’s length through the rest of the opening set, with the Serbian putting on a tactical masterclass.

Norrie withstood pressure after the smash incident to hold his serve until 4-4, when Djokovic, who has never failed to make the quarter-finals in Rome, made the decisive move.

The 35-year-old was serving noticeably slower than usual but he was coy on the reason for a visit to the treatment room that delayed the start of the match.

“Every day is something,” he said. “Thankfully I was able to play and finish the match, so hopefully tomorrow I will feel even better.”

Djokovic next faces a quarter-final clash with seventh seed Holger Rune, who defeated Alexei Popyrin in three sets, while fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas completed a delayed 6-3 7-6 (3) victory over Italian Lorenzo Sonego.

Cameron Norrie left his mark on Novak Djokovic but saw his Italian Open run end in the fourth round.

The world number one was simply too solid for Norrie in a 6-3 6-4 victory that maintains his record of never having lost before the quarter-finals in Rome.

The main talking point came in the fourth game of the second set as Norrie sought to retrieve an early break.

Djokovic turned his back on the play after presenting his opponent with an easy smash, only for Norrie, seemingly unintentionally, to drill the ball into the Serbian’s legs.

Djokovic gave the British number one an extremely frosty stare and there was an edge to the contest thereafter, but Norrie never really threatened to land more than a glancing blow.

The 27-year-old, who had lost both his previous meetings with Djokovic, dropped serve at the start of the contest and was kept at arm’s length through the rest of the opening set, with the six-time champion putting on a tactical masterclass.

Norrie withstood pressure after the smash incident to hold his serve until 4-4, when Djokovic made the decisive move to reach the last eight.

“It was an early start today, strange conditions,” Djokovic said on Amazon Prime Video.

“I finished my warm-up 10 minutes before I went on court so I was rushing a bit with everything. I’m just glad to overcome today’s challenge in straight sets and move on.”

The 35-year-old was serving noticeably slower than usual but he was coy on the reason for an early morning visit to the treatment room.

“Every day is something,” he said. “Thankfully I was able to play and finish the match so hopefully tomorrow I will feel even better.”

Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock loss to lowly-ranked Hungarian Fabian Marozsan in the third round of the Italian Open in Rome.

Alcaraz will take over from Novak Djokovic as world number one next Monday but his French Open preparations suffered a blow with a 6-3 7-6 (4) loss to 135th-ranked Marozsan.

The 23-year-old had never played in the main draw of an ATP event or beaten a top-100 player prior to arriving in the Italian capital but, having come through qualifying, he now finds himself in the last 16 of one of the biggest tournaments outside the grand slams.

Marozsan stunned Alcaraz in the first set with the pace of his forehand, while he played the Spaniard at his own game with frequent drop shots.

The second seed, who was on a 12-match winning streak after claiming titles in Barcelona and Madrid, fought hard in the second to try to turn the match around.

He led 4-1 in the tie-break but Marozsan was not to be denied, reeling off six points in a row to clinch the victory of his life and one of the biggest shocks of the season.

Speaking on Amazon Prime Video, he said: “I’m very, very happy. I couldn’t imagine this. It was my dream last night. I just beat the world number one, he’s the best in our sport. Everything was perfect today.”

Cameron Norrie set up a last-16 clash with Novak Djokovic at the Italian Open thanks to a 6-2 7-6 (4) victory over Marton Fucsovics.

The British number one had looked on track for a straightforward triumph as he won the first set with minimal fuss and then stormed into a 5-1 lead in the second, only for his Hungarian opponent to fight back to 5-5.

Norrie edged the tie-break which followed, 7-4, however, and will next face Djokovic after the world number one continued his winning run by overcoming Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 4-6 6-1.

The Serbian was given a tough test by the Bulgarian, who – having been 3-1 down in the second set – broke twice to force the decider, but the top seed and defending champion rallied to see out the match convincingly.

“(I was) very solid. I think I could have won in straight sets,” 22-time grand slam winner Djokovic told the ATP website.

“I was a set and 4-2 up and had a pretty decent forehand in the middle of the court at deuce on his serve and missed that.

“He held his serve well, we had new balls the next game, I did a double fault, the crowd got into it and got behind him and of course the energy of the place and of the match changed.

“I dropped my level a bit, but luckily I managed find it right away in the first game (of the third set), made that crucial break and kind of shifted the momentum to my side, so I’m really pleased with the way I closed out the match.”

Russian world number three Daniil Medvedev earned his maiden win at the tournament with a 6-4 6-2 triumph over Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori and expressed his relief at finally winning a match in Rome.

“We can talk about all of the matches I lost here, they were different,” Medvedev told the ATP website after reaching the third round.

“The first one, I feel like I should have won, but it is (what it is). Whenever I come to a tournament, I know that I can play well, so I’m happy to finally get the win here in Rome.”

Denmark’s Holger Rune continued his good run with a 6-4 6-2 success against Andy Murray’s conqueror Fabio Fognini, while Norway’s world number four Casper Ruud defeated Alexander Bublik 6-1 4-6 7-6 (0).

In the women’s event, defending champion Iga Swiatek eased into the last 16 with a comfortable victory over Lesia Tsurenko.

The world number one continued her strong start in the tournament, cruising to a 6-2 6-0 success, and was pleased with another solid performance.

“For sure, after a pretty rusty start, I was able to break back pretty quickly, so I’m happy that I played solid game,” she said in her post-match press conference.

“Just to have another experience playing on centre court… and I’m happy that it wasn’t raining!”

Czechia’s Marie Bouzkova’s upset Coco Gauff in their last-32 encounter, prevailing 4-6 6-2 6-2 to oust the American sixth seed, while Madison Keys advanced to the last 16 via walkover after her opponent Victoria Azarenka withdrew due to a leg injury.

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