Alcaraz fears ‘dangerous’ Sinner as rivals prepare for French Open duel
A little over an hour after reinforcing his supremacy on red clay with his first title at the Italian Open, Carlos Alcaraz ended his time in Rome with an ominous, pointed parting shot from the bowels of the Campo Centrale.“He’s going to be dangerous,” said Alcaraz.“He’s going to be a really dangerous player in Paris.”Alcaraz was speaking, of course, about his greatest rival, Jannik Sinner, whom he had just defeated in two fascinating sets in the final.Over the next fortnight in Paris, one of the pressing questions surrounding the tournament will be whether Alcaraz and Sinner, the top two seeds, can consolidate those performances by meeting in a grand slam final for the first time.
Historically, the absence of a top player is good news for their rival, but few competitors were as happy to see Sinner back in action as Alcaraz.Since the No 1’s three-month doping ban was announced, the Spaniard has struggled with the additional attention and scrutiny, with so many people expecting him to win every tournament he entered.He said that the pressure, at times, “killed” him.From an excruciating March, when Alcaraz was handcuffed by anxiety before matches, he found his path again by focusing on himself and the joy he plays with on court.His performances in Rome were notable for the maturity he demonstrated throughout.
Instead of his usual turbulent level, demonstrating both his genius and inconsistency, Alcaraz simply produced what each moment demanded of him.He was spectacular when necessary, but he also ground down his opponents by merely being solid in the decisive moments.“During the matches in some moments I was just feeling totally different,” said Alcaraz.“Before I was totally nervous, couldn’t handle the nerves as better as I’m doing right now.I was focused in other things that were important, about the results, about I have to win, I have to make results.
Right now I’m focusing in totally a different way, in different things, which is just being happy, being proud about the moments that I’m living.I think that’s the right path.So I’m just feeling great, feeling great right now.”As Alcaraz clinched his second Masters 1000 title of the clay-court season, ensuring he will be the player to watch as he attempts to defend his French Open title, Rome was an even more significant occasion for the defeated finalist.In his first tournament back after his ban, Sinner blazed a path to the final in front of a deafening home crowd, immediately re-establishing himself as one of the top contenders in every tournament in the world and providing himself with an excellent base to build upon.
On Friday, Sinner discussed both his satisfaction at his progress in Rome and the path ahead as he tries at Roland Garros to win his first grand slam title away from hard courts.“There are no miracles, no? I need some time,” said Sinner.“Matches are different than practice sessions.But we are working hard, trying to reach the physical level I would like to, and how I would like to feel on court.Of course it pops into, you know, also the tennis part where it’s just a little bit different.
But best-of-five is going to be a great test for me, trying to understand where I am.Let’s see how my body will respond here.”It is unclear who will be there in the latter rounds to derail them.The tour was a turbulent, inconsistent place in Sinner’s absence and Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev have all struggled.Others, such as Jack Draper and Lorenzo Musetti, have embedded themselves inside the top eight.
Actually contending for the title, however, would mark a significant step forward for both,Sign up to The RecapThe best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend’s actionafter newsletter promotionIn the women’s draw, Iga Swiatek has spent the past five years establishing one of the most dominant eras among female players at Roland Garros in history, winning the previous three editions and four of the past five,No woman in the open era has won four consecutive French Open titles,At the same time that Swiatek is trying to break new ground among female players in the modern era of the sport, she is in her biggest crisis since becoming No 1 three years ago,After spending recent years sweeping up titles on both hard courts and clay, the Pole has not won a title at any level since the last edition of the French Open.
Her confidence has particularly been blunted by her shock defeat in the semi-finals of the Olympic Games at Roland Garros last August and her own doping case, which led her to accept a one-month ban after taking widely available melatonin medication that had been contaminated by the banned substance trimetazidine.After losing 6-1, 6-1 to Coco Gauff in her Madrid title defence, she was defeated in the third round of the Italian Open by Danielle Collins.As Swiatek has struggled, her rivals have only improved.Gauff has made significant ground in a match-up that once looked hopeless for her, beating Swiatek twice this year, and Aryna Sabalenka has further solidified her status as the best player in the world by finding even greater consistency on a day to day basis.Mirra Andreeva has continued to progress, establishing herself as one of the top players at just 18 years old, while Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen showed last week in Rome that their breakout 2024 seasons were no flukes.
The stakes have never been higher for Swiatek in the tournament she has made her home, but it is often in these perilous moments that the greatest players demonstrate their worth.
Thames Water boss ordered to tell MPs if executives received bonus payments
The chief executive of Thames Water has been ordered to tell MPs whether any executives have received payments from a controversial bonus package taken from a £3bn loan.Britain’s biggest water company admitted last week that senior managers were in line for “substantial” bonuses linked to an emergency £3bn loan. Thames claimed the payouts were vital to retain staff and prevent rival companies from “picking off” its best employees. The disclosure provoked fury as the company has said its finances are “hair-raising” and that it came “very close to running out of money entirely” last year.On Tuesday, the environment secretary, Steve Reed, announced the bonuses had been withdrawn by the water company after the Guardian revealed the chair of Thames Water had wrongly claimed they were insisted upon by creditors
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UK private sector shrinking as firms cut jobs; pressure to raise taxes as government borrowing jumps – as it happened
Britain’s private sector is shrinking for the second month running as factory output falls at the fastest rate in a year and a half, a new survey shows.The latest poll of purchasing managers at UK companies found that private sector output is decreasing in May, although at a slower rate than in April.Manufacturing production fell at the fastest rate since October 2023, although this was moderated by a “fractional rise” in service sector output.UK firms reported that clients were cautious this month, due to business uncertainty, leading to a drop in new orders. However, worries about US tariffs have dropped this month, after Donald Trump delayed tariffs on America’s trading partners and agreed a trade deal with the UK
UK petrol prices poised to fall further as oil prices tumble
Global oil prices have tumbled by more than $1 a barrel in a sign that pressure on households at the petrol pumps could ease further.The price of Brent crude fell to $63.86 a barrel on Thursday following reports that the Opec oil cartel and its allies may increase their production for July, despite weaker global demand for fossil fuels.The price of crude is now well below the $80.53 a barrel average recorded last year, a fall that has helped to put pump prices at their lowest level in almost four years
Ministers said to be considering bill to wipe out British Steel’s debts
Ministers are reportedly considering legislation to relieve British Steel of debts that have risen to nearly £1bn, as the government considers how best to prepare the Scunthorpe steelworks for sale.The government took control of the business last month after it said its Chinese owner, Jingye Steel, planned to close the plant within days. The move required emergency legislation that was passed in a historic recall of parliament.Jingye remains the legal owner of British Steel, despite the takeover, and is owed money by the company. Those debts would probably have been wiped out in a liquidation
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