Tennis

7:44 PM ET Associated Press ROME — Seven months ago, Jannik Sinner twice had chances to accomplish something few tennis players have been capable of: taking a set from Rafael Nadal at the French Open. The Italian teenager served for the first set at 6-5 in the Roland Garros quarterfinals and was up a break

3:19 PM ET Rachel MarcusESPN Editor Close ESPN Editor Joined ESPN in 2013 Maryland native, Syracuse graduate Welcome back to the NFL, Tim Tebow. Nine years years after his final regular season game — and more than 300 minor league baseball games later — Tebow, 33, is expected to sign a one-year deal with the

11:24 AM ET Associated Press There are no American men in the ATP’s Top 30 for the first time in the nearly half-century of computerized tennis rankings. The highest-ranked man from the U.S., Taylor Fritz, slid one place to No. 31 on Monday after a first-round loss at last week’s Madrid Masters. Next is John

10:46 AM ET Associated Press ROME — Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori has doubts about whether the IOC and local organizers are doing enough to plan for a worst-case scenario of “hundreds” or “thousands” of coronavirus cases at the Tokyo Olympics. Or whether it’s even still feasible to hold the games when a state of

4:58 PM ET Associated Press MADRID — Alexander Zverev continued his impressive form going into the French Open by winning his second Madrid Open title on Sunday. After beating top-seeded Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and fourth-ranked Dominic Thiem in the semifinals, Zverev rallied to defeat Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-3 for his second

9:58 AM ET Associated Press ROME — Naomi Osaka is conflicted over whether the Tokyo Olympics should be held amid the coronavirus pandemic. The second-ranked tennis player, who represents Japan, was asked about the games at the Italian Open on Sunday. “Of course I would say I want the Olympics to happen, because I’m an

8:39 AM ET Tory Z. RoyESPN Five minutes. University of Arizona women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes was rushing to her team’s locker room in the Alamodome in San Antonio on April 4 for five minutes she wasn’t sure she had to spare. Five minutes. I just need five minutes. In an empty bathroom, while hooking

12:57 PM ET ESPN News Services MADRID — Alexander Zverev followed his triumph over Rafael Nadal with a win over Dominic Thiem to reach another Madrid Open final on Saturday. The No. 6-ranked Zverev defeated No. 4 Thiem 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final again after beating Thiem for the 2018 title. Zverev broke Thiem’s

3:47 PM ET ESPN News Services MADRID — Aryna Sabalenka is glad she changed her mind about playing at the Madrid Open. Two weeks after nearly withdrawing from the tournament because of a muscle injury, Sabalenka was standing on center court with the winner’s trophy in her hands on Saturday. Sabalenka defeated top-ranked Ash Barty

12:01 PM ET Associated Press MADRID — Rafael Nadal‘s bid to reach a 75th semifinal at a Masters event ended Friday with a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Alexander Zverev. The sixth-ranked German beat Nadal for the first time on clay and for the third time in a row overall. Zverev broke Nadal’s serve twice in

4:09 PM ET Associated Press Sofia Kenin no longer will be coached by her father, announcing just weeks before the French Open she is “putting together a new technical team.” Kenin, the Australian Open champion and French Open runner-up in 2020, wrote about the switch on Instagram on Friday. The post included a photo of

4:45 PM ET Associated Press MADRID — Less than a month from his 35th birthday, Rafael Nadal says he is not thinking about retirement at all. Speaking by video conference Thursday after winning his fourth Laureus Award, the 20-time Grand Slam champion was asked how many more years he wants to play. “Well, thanks for

11:19 AM ET Associated Press MADRID — Rafael Nadal got through another young opponent and showed signs he was getting closer to his best form on clay as he defeated Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-3 to make it to the Madrid Open quarterfinals on Thursday. The women’s top-ranked player, Ashleigh Barty, meanwhile, cruised into the final

12:22 PM ET Associated Press MADRID — In a much-anticipated battle of generations, Rafael Nadal showed he is still clearly the man to beat in Spanish tennis, cruising to a 6-1, 6-2 win over teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday. Nadal, seeking his sixth title in Madrid

7:15 PM ET Associated Press LONDON — The International Tennis Federation is seeking a new host city for the finals of the Billie Jean King Cup, formerly the Fed Cup, after Budapest backed out because of COVID-19 concerns. The Hungarian capital was due to host the 12-nation tournament but the event has twice been postponed

6:15 PM ET Associated Press MADRID — Looking fresh again after taking a few weeks off, U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem cruised into the third round of the Madrid Open with a comfortable 6-1, 6-3 win over American Marcos Giron on Tuesday. Thiem was in control from the start at the “Magic Box” center court

2:40 PM ET Associated Press PRAGUE — Barbora Strycova, a former top-ranked doubles player and Wimbledon singles semifinalist, announced her retirement on Tuesday. “Until now, tennis was the only world I knew,” Strycova said in a statement. “I have always had enormous love for this amazing sport. Even though all the pain, tears, renunciation and

6:35 AM ET The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is seeking a new host city for this year’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals after terminating the agreement it had with Budapest. A source within the ITF confirmed to Reuters that the revamped women’s team competition featuring 12 nations, formerly known as the Fed Cup, would no