The GB squad are into the finals for the second year running – a far cry from the early 2000s nadir The turn of the millennium marked one of the most significant periods in the history of women’s tennis. An audacious, charismatic generation of young stars had stormed the tour, usurping the old leaders and transforming the image of the sport. On the biggest stages, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and Anna Kournikova often generated more attention and higher TV ratings than their male counterparts. Some transcended the sport as global superstars. At the same time that women’s tennis was thriving around the world, it had reached a grim nadir on these shores. For years, not a single British woman reached the top 100. They competed almost exclusively on the lower-level ITF circuit, only making fleeting cameos on the tour through wildcards at Wimbledon and during the grass season. The Fed Cup team, meanwhile, was rooted to the zonal group stages, a world away from competing with the best teams. Women’s tennis has a rich history in Britain, particularly in the grand slam-winning era of Virginia Wade and Sue Barker, but by the early 2000s Britain was completely irrelevant on the WTA Tour. Continue reading...

Iga Swiatek is "set for a mammoth few months" with a lot of points to defend in the clay-court season - it's your Second Serve tennis briefing.

Spanish second seed wins 3-6, 6-1, 6-0Musetti suffers leg injury in final set Carlos Alcaraz stormed back to a 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory against an ailing Lorenzo Musetti to win the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco. The second-seeded Spaniard claimed his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title and first since Indian Wells in March 2024. It was the 18th career title for the four-time grand slam winner, who turns 22 next month. Continue reading...

Carlos Alcaraz won his first Monte Carlo title as he played in his third straight clay-court final and gained momentum ahead of next month's French Open.

Carlos Alcaraz produces a fine comeback victory to beat Lorenzo Musetti and win the Monte Carlo Masters.

Carlos Alcaraz says he "cannot wait to try my luck again" on the clay when he faces Lorenzo Musetti in the Monte Carlo Masters final.

Italian fights back to win semi-final 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4)Carlos Alcaraz beats Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (2), 6-4 Alex de Minaur has had the most scorching clay-court spell of his career finally doused in the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters in a nail-biting loss to Lorenzo Musetti. Seeking to become the first Australian since John Newcombe in 1969 to reach the final of the prestigious Masters 1000 event, De Minaur continued surfing on his extraordinary wave of success over the week by blasting past his Italian opponent, taking the first set 6-1. Continue reading...

Carlos Alcaraz needed six match points to put away Spanish compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (2), 6-4 on Saturday and reach the final of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Carlos Alcaraz won from behind against Arthur Fils while defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas was bounced out in the Monte Carlo Masters quarterfinals.

Emma Raducanu is in discussions with Mark Petchey about appointing him as her new coach.

The Australian reaches last four of Monte Carlo MastersHe will play either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Lorenzo Musetti Alex de Minaur has humbled Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov 6-0 6-0 to feast on the first “double bagel” of his professional career while powering into the Monte Carlo Masters semi-final. The Australian was in merciless mood against the out-of-sorts veteran, taking only 44 minutes to hand the world No 18 one of his most embarrassing defeats on the Monte Carlo Country Club’s main arena, Court Rainier III, on Friday. Continue reading...

Carlos Alcaraz says he's "missed" playing on clay after he booked his place in the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters with a spirited fightback.

Captain Anne Keothavong is without Emma Raducanu but has plenty of talent on hand in effort to reach Finals in China Five months on from the heartbreak of Málaga, where they came so close to battling for the Billie Jean King Cup trophy before succumbing to Slovakia in a brutal semi-final, Great Britain will begin their pursuit of the sport’s flagship team competition as they face Germany on Friday and the Netherlands on Saturday in The Hague for a spot in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. They will attempt to do so without Emma Raducanu, a key figure in the team’s recent success. Last year, Raducanu led them to the Finals in Málaga with two-high quality victories against France on clay. She ended 2024 5-0 in the competition. Continue reading...

Elena Rybakina defeats Kim Birrell in straight sets in BrisbaneMaya Joint loses to Yulia Putintseva in BJK Cup qualifying tie Big-hitting former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina has out-gunned Kim Birrell to secure victory for Kazakhstan over Australia in their Billie Jean King Cup qualifying tie in Brisbane. Rybakina recovered from a double break of serve down in the second set to beat Birrell 6-3, 7-6 (4) to give the Kazakhs an unassailable 2-0 lead after world No 23 Yulia Putintseva defeated rookie teenager Maya Joint 6-2, 6-1 in the opening singles match. Continue reading...