Paris: Making his comeback after missing the last two grand slams, Rafa Nadal probably expects a warm reception next week when he returns to Roland Garros - an event which is supposed to be one of the summer highlights of the French sporting calendar.
Yet the Spaniard, in pursuit of a record-extending eighth title, is likely to be greeted by cold, grey and damp weather and few would blame him if he turned up at the French Open with thermals covering his bulging muscles.
After being out of action for seven months with a knee injury following a shock second-round exit at Wimbledon last year, Nadal has enjoyed a spectacular run of form which his great rival Roger Federer summed up as: "Eight out of eight finals of eight tournaments. It's amazing."
That run had included six titles, including Masters success in Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome. In Paris, however, the devastating effect of his top spin will be less felt with rain showers forecast and temperatures expected to be between 5-10 degrees below usual....
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11:05 PM, May 24, 2013
Paris: India's Somdev Devvarman qualified for the main draw of the men's singles event at the French Open here on Friday. Somdev defeated eight seed Wayne Odesnik of the United States 6-3 6-4 in the third and final qualifying round at the Rolland Garros. Somdev will now take on Spaniard Daniel Munoz-De La Nava in the first round of the main draw. Somdev had earlier defeated Italian Matteo Viola 6-4...
10:46 PM, May 24, 2013
Paris: Seven-time champion Rafael Nadal could face top-seeded Novak Djokovic in the French Open semifinals a year after they met to decide the title. Friday's draw for the clay-court Grand Slam tournament placed Nadal and Djokovic on the same half of the field, while Roger Federer could face David Ferrer in the other semifinal. Federer, the owner of a record 17 major titles including the 2009 French Open, will face...
06:01 PM, May 24, 2013
Paris: France coach Didier Deschamps has called up Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette for the first time to replace the injured Jeremy Menez for next month's friendly matches against Uruguay and Brazil. The French Football Federation said Thursday that Menez has pulled out because of back pains. The Paris Saint-Germain winger has not played since scoring the goal that clinched the league title in a 1-0 win at Lyon two weeks...
03:38 PM, May 24, 2013
Paris: Victoria Azarenka used to create the impression on court she was contending with more than an opponent. There seemed to be demons at play as well. Consider her fourth-round meltdown against Nadia Petrova at Wimbledon in 2009. She began mimicking her own movements before sarcastically shaking a linesperson's hand and telling the chair umpire, "You guys have so much power to ruin the whole match." She is now a...
02:19 PM, May 24, 2013
Time to peep into our entertainment editor Rajeev Masand's Cannes diary. Here's his personalised account of all the action from ground zero - a snapshot from the French Rivera. ...
01:28 PM, May 24, 2013
Paris: A look at 10 of the top topics at the French Open, the clay-court Grand Slam tennis tournament that begins on Sunday and ends on June 9: 1. WHY STOP AT SEVEN? Rafael Nadal already owns a record seven French Open titles - he broke a tie with Bjorn Borg by winning last year - and is widely considered the favourite to add No. 8. He is 36-2 this...
09:10 AM, May 24, 2013
London: Based on form, Serena Williams is a stand-out favourite to win a second French Open title but her record at Roland Garros means she approaches the tournament with a touch of apprehension and fearful of the "lady in the mirror". Williams is world number one, unbeaten in 24 matches and has won four consecutive tournaments, yet she remains diffident after last year's debacle when she exited in the first...
04:46 PM, May 23, 2013
Madrid: Milos Raonic would probably not feature on most people's list of potential French Open champions but the two-metre Canadian with the booming serve has been working hard on his clay game in Spain and has the potential to cause an upset. The Montenegro-born 22-year-old, who will make his third appearance at Roland Garros next week, joined up with Spanish coach Galo Blanco at his 4Slam Tennis academy in Barcelona...
04:46 PM, May 23, 2013
Paris: After 30 years without a male grand-slam winner, France's tennis establishment is beginning to question whether the absence of success is purely down to a lack of natural-born winners. Since Yannick Noah's triumph at the French Open in 1983, France has endured a barren spell at the majors with a shallow talent pool and a lack of mettle in their top players cited as possible reasons. Quantity has prevailed...
04:40 PM, May 23, 2013
London: Watching Rafael Nadal churn his way through the claycourt season over the past few weeks, it seems nothing much has changed since his French Open triumph a year ago despite a lengthy injury layoff. Titles in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome, where he dropped only three sets in the process, mean the 26-year-old is overwhelming favourite to lift the trophy for an eighth time at Roland Garros when play gets...
04:29 PM, May 23, 2013
Paris: Seventh-ranked Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina has pulled out of the upcoming French Open because of a respiratory virus. Del Potro said in a statement on Wednesday that he has not fully recovered and not fit to play. American players Brian Baker and Mardy Fish have also pulled out. Baker has not recovered from a right knee operation and Fish is unfit because of heart problems. They will...
10:32 PM, May 22, 2013
Melbourne: Bernard Tomic will play at next week's French Open despite his off-court troubles - if only to keep some momentum going for the grasscourt season ahead, Tennis Australia's Todd Woodbridge said on Wednesday. Tomic's father John faced a charge of causing criminal injury in a Madrid court earlier this month after allegedly assaulting his son's hitting partner Thomas Drouet. Tomic senior says he acted in self-defence and the court...
01:18 PM, May 22, 2013
London: Britain's world number two Andy Murray has pulled out of the French Open after failing to recover from a lower back injury which he aggravated at the Italian Open last week. "It's a really tough decision and I love playing in Paris, but after seeking medical advice, I am not fit to compete," Murray said in a statement released by his management company. "Apologies to the organisers and thanks...
08:40 AM, May 22, 2013
New Orleans: Residents of one of America's most violent cities cheered six arrests in a Mother's Day parade shooting that left 19 people wounded and three in critical condition. Two New Orleans brothers were booked with 20 counts each of attempted second-degree murder in Sunday's shooting spree. Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who strongly promotes the city's tourism industry, including the annual Mardi Gras celebration, said the arrests are the latest evidence...
08:00 AM, May 18, 2013
Bangalore: Former World No. 1 Boris Becker on Friday said Rafael Nadal has good chances of winning the French Open this year but added the Spaniard will face competition from Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. "Rafa's chances are looking good. But then you have others like Djocovic, who is world No. 1. You also have Federer, who is still very good. There is question mark about Andy Murrey though, who...
11:43 PM, May 17, 2013
Melbourne: Tennis Australia expects that Bernard Tomic will play in the French Open, despite coach John Tomic recently declaring his son's participation unlikely. The 20-year-old Tomic has resumed training after withdrawing from this week's Rome Masters following an assault case involving his father in Madrid, and has made no suggestion he will also skip Roland Garros which starts May 26. Tennis Australia's Todd Woodbridge tells Fairfax Media on Friday "my...
03:31 PM, May 17, 2013
Melbourne: Australians John Millman and Ash Barty have been awarded wild card entries for the French Open starting May 26. Millman, who has improved 58 places this year to be ranked No. 141, qualified for the main draw at the recent ATP event in Munich and also reached the second round of the Brisbane International as a qualifier. He has won two challenger titles in 2013. Tennis Australia on Tuesday...
06:11 PM, May 14, 2013
Washington: Gunmen fired shots during an informal Mother's Day afternoon parade in New Orleans in Louisiana state injuring 19 people, two of them children, according to police. The wounded in Sunday afternoon's shooting in the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana, governed by Indian-American Bobby Jindal, included 10 men and seven women as well as a boy and a girl, both 10. Local Nola.com cited police...
06:25 PM, May 13, 2013
Paris: Rafael Nadal will not be protected with a higher seeding at the French Open, tournament director Gilbert Ysern said on Saturday. Roland Garros committee member Guy Forget suggested last month that the Spaniard, who has slipped to fifth in the world rankings, should be protected to avoid a potential quarter-final clash with world number one Novak Djokovic. "Considering what Nadal represents in Paris, i.e. the best player in the...
04:40 PM, May 04, 2013
