International Tennis Federation (ITF) president David Haggerty is disappointed that Rafael Nadal will not be able to feature at Roland Garros, which he called "Rafa's house".
Nadal has not played since suffering a second-round exit at the Australian Open in January, having struggled with a hip injury during his straight-sets defeat to Mackenzie McDonald, and will not play at the French Open.
The Spaniard last week confirmed he will be unable to compete at Roland Garros, where he is a record 14-time champion.
When announcing his withdrawal, Nadal said 2024 would "probably" be his final year on the ATP Tour and outlined his intention of making farewell appearances at "important tournaments".
Haggerty said: "I think it's disappointing for Rafa not to be there because we know Roland Garros as Rafa's house so to speak.
"He's won it so many times and people love to watch him play. [It is] disappointing.
"I was happy to hear that he is talking about the possibility of his return to the Davis Cup finals, which would be fantastic. I wish him a successful recovery and hope to see him on the court again."
While Nadal will not be present in Paris, WTA world number one Iga Swiatek is set to be in action.
Swiatek is the defending champion, and Haggerty says the Pole will be well aware her rivals are gunning for her title.
"She's the number one player in the world and I think that she has been ranked number one for more than a year consecutively," he said.
"So [she is] a very, very good player. She won Roland Garros last year, so I expect to see her performances continued to be good knowing that everybody's after her to try to beat number one."
At 21, Swiatek already has three grand slam titles under her belt. And with 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz conquering all on the ATP Tour, Haggerty thinks tennis' future is in safe hands, even as Nadal and Novak Djokovic reach the twilight of their careers.
"I think we have many good young men and young women that are showing how great tennis is and and putting on good rivalries already," he said.
"So I think the future is bright."
Novak Djokovic battles past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in French Open marathon
Novak Djokovic fought off a terrific challenge from Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to reach the fourth round of the French Open for a 14th consecutive year.
The 7-6 (4) 7-6 (5) 6-2 victory took three hours and 36 minutes, with Djokovic twice a break down in the first set and forced to save a set point in the second.
The 22-time grand-slam champion looked unsettled in windy conditions, while he called the trainer before the third set to have his left thigh massaged, but, as he so often does, he found a way to come out on top.
Djokovic had struggled in his opening set against Marton Fucsovics on Wednesday before breezing through the next two, and it quickly became clear Spaniard Davidovich Fokina would offer a real test.
The 23-year-old, ranked 34, matched his opponent in physical rallies from the baseline and broke for the first time to lead 3-2.
Djokovic hit straight back but was broken again at 5-5 after a game that featured three double faults and a time violation.
Again, Davidovich Fokina was unable to serve it out, though, and Djokovic made him pay for the wasted opportunities by winning a tie-break.
This time the challenge very much continued in the second set as the pair exchanged breaks of serve three times, with Djokovic unable to clinch it at 5-4.
Davidovich Fokina had one chance to break again and level the match in Djokovic’s next service game but he could not take it and the Serbian again came out on top in a tie-break.
Djokovic let his emotions out, roaring and fist-pumping, but the toll the effort had taken became clear when he called the trainer, applying ice to his left thigh and gesturing sarcastically towards the crowd.
Djokovic looked distinctly uncomfortable at times in the third set but he forged ahead early on and did not let Davidovich Fokina back in, giving a weary celebration when the Spaniard’s resistance finally ran out.
“I knew that it’s going to be a very difficult match, a very physical match,” said Djokovic.
“He contested very, very well. He’s an amazing fighter, amazing player. Congratulations to him for fighting. Bad luck but he played a great match.
“Of course a win is a win, maybe a little bit too much, three hours for two sets. I thought, if I would lose the second set, we’d probably play for five hours.
“But you have to be ready. It takes a lot of effort but we all have to believe in ourselves. I’m proud of the performance today for sure.”
It was another day of long matches, with Italian Lorenzo Sonego fighting back from two sets down to defeat seventh seed Andrey Rublev, while Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner saw off Fabio Fognini in five sets.
After his epic victory over Stan Wawrinka, Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis was involved in another lengthy battle with 11th seed Karen Khachanov but was unable to force a decider, losing out 6-4 6-1 3-6 7-6 (5).
Aryna Sabalenka cites mental health concerns after avoiding regular media duties
Aryna Sabalenka did not undertake her usual media duties at the French Open citing mental health concerns after her third-round win over Kamilla Rakhimova.
The second seed was involved in a tense exchange with a Ukrainian journalist on Wednesday over her previous support for Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.
“For many months now I have answered these questions at tournaments and been very clear in my feelings and my thoughts,” said Sabalenka.
“These questions do not bother me after my matches. I know that I have to provide answers to the media on things not related to my tennis or my matches but, on Wednesday, I did not feel safe in the press conference.
“I should be able to feel safe when I do interviews with the journalists after my matches. For my own mental health and well-being, I have decided to take myself out of this situation today, and the tournament has supported me in this decision.
“It hasn’t been an easy few days, and now my focus is continue to play well here in Paris.”
Roland Garros organisers claimed Sabalenka talked to a hand-picked group of journalists in a ‘press conference’ after easing past Rakhimova 6-2 6-2, but it is understood all the questions were asked by a WTA employee.
It is not yet clear whether Sabalenka, who is through to the fourth round in Paris for the first time, will attend press conferences for the rest of the tournament.
The Australian Open champion was also asked questions about the war after her first-round victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, who refused to shake her hand and was booed off court.
She said afterwards that all Russian and Belarusian athletes were against the war but refused to answer questions from the Ukrainian journalist on Wednesday.
Third seed Jessica Pegula also declined to do a press conference following the disappointment of her 6-1 6-3 loss to 28th seed Elise Mertens.
The American, whose preparations were disrupted by food poisoning, failed to make the quarter-finals for only the second time in the last six grand slams.
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, meanwhile, did not shake hands with Russian opponent Anna Blinkova at the end of her 2-6 6-2 7-5 victory.
Amid more booing from the crowd on Simonne Mathieu, Svitolina, who is married to French player Gael Monfils, gave a thumbs-up and exchanged a few words with Blinkova but did not offer her hand.
Svitolina, in her first grand slam tournament since giving birth to her daughter in October, will next play another Russian, Daria Kasatkina, who has been the most vocal of the Russian and Belarusian competitors in speaking out against the war.
Nzonzi forever grateful to Allardyce and says Big Sam's management still has a place
Steven Nzonzi feels there is still a place for Sam Allardyce and his style of management, despite the former England manager having suffered two relegations in his last two jobs.
Allardyce could not save Leeds United from dropping to the Championship, with the 68-year-old failing to win any of his four games in charge after he replaced Javi Gracia in May.
Leeds confirmed on Friday that Allardyce would be leaving the club.
It is the second Premier League relegation on Allardyce's CV, after he also went down with West Brom in the 2020-21 season.
Nzonzi, who worked under Allardyce at Blackburn Rovers, feels his old boss' style of management is not outdated.
He told Stats Perform: "Of course, there is a place, there is no question about it, he has great experience and I think that Leeds may have brought him a little bit late.
"I played under Sam Allardyce, and trust me he is a big character, and he has big charisma.
"So, for me, to save a team he is one of the best for sure, but it is difficult to come in and he managed four games. I think it was a bit too late.
"But of course, he has great experience, so he can still manage in the Premier League, in the Championship, he is a great coach, I have great memories of working with him, amazing memories."
Indeed, Nzonzi, who would go on to represent major clubs like Sevilla and Roma after playing under Big Sam, says Allardyce is the coach he is most grateful to.
"That would be impossible for me to say, I enjoyed so many managers," he said when asked who the best coach he had worked under was.
"The one I enjoyed the most was [Jorge] Sampaoli, but the one I am more grateful about is Sam Allardyce, because I came from the second division in France and to start me in the Premier League against Manchester City, for the first game of the season - it was the game that changed my vision and my life.
"It gave me confidence that I have the ability to play at a high level, so I would say Sam Allardyce for that."
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