sign in sign up
<<
Home , Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Victoria Azarenka

MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021 10

Osaka thanks fans for support after departure Roger Federer pulls out of French Open Federer ends Roland Garros campaign to protect knee before Wimbledon

39-year-old withdraws• before BETTER fourth-round match

AFP | Paris KNOW reacts after a match (file photo) AFP | Paris oger Federer said yester- day he was withdrawing Federer, who has our-time win- from the French Open BETTER R hardly played in the Fner Naomi Osaka posted despite having reached the last 17 months be- her first social media com - fourth round, opting to focus on cause of a knee injury, ments Saturday since pulling his primary objective of winning out of the French Open after KNOW a ninth Wimbledon title. suffered physically in a dispute over news confer- “After discussions with my his four-set, late-night ences. team, I’ve decided I will need to victory over German Osaka, who also had re - French of- pull out of Roland Garros today,” Dominik Koepfer on vealed her ongoing battle the 39-year-old said. ficials fined Osaka Roger Federer leaves the court after a match Saturday and decided with depression and anxiety, $15,000 and threat- “After two knee surgeries and to end his Roland thanked her supporters in a over a year of rehabilitation it’s a night session for the first time Garros campaign brief message on Instagram. ened to remove her important that I listen to my in his third round tie. “Just want to say thank you from the tournament body and make sure I don’t push However, the almost empty ahead of what would for all the love. Haven’t been for not honouring myself too quickly on my road After two knee 15,000-capacity Court Philippe have been a punishing on my phone much but I want- mandatory media to recovery. surgeries and over a Chatrier was eerily silent due to fourth-round match ed to hop on here and tell you commitments, “I am thrilled to have gotten year of rehabilitation a Covid-19 curfew. against Italian Matteo all that I really appreciate it,” prompting the three matches under my belt. It is likely that this was Feder- Berrettini she wrote. There is no greater feeling than it’s important that I er’s final appearance at the tour- French tennis officials fined 23-year-old Japanese being back on court.” listen to my body and nament. His return this year added. Osaka $15,000 and threatened star to withdraw on Federer, a 20-time Grand make sure I don’t push was only his second participa- “It gives me great pleasure to to remove her from the tourna- her own Slam title winner, who will be myself too quickly on tion since 2015. be able to play 3hr 30min at a ment for not honouring man- 40 in two months’ time, battled my road to recovery “The Roland Garros tourna- high level against a very good datory media commitments, to get better. She did not pro- over three and a half hours un- ROGER FEDERER ment is sorry about the with- player. It shows that I’m on the prompting the 23-year-old vide any update on her con- til 12:45 yesterday morning to drawal of Roger Federer, who right track.” Japanese star to withdraw on dition. reach the last 16 with a 7-6 (7/5), year’s and has put up an incredible fight last His performance won rave her own. French Open officials Osaka also did not say when 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 win over always said Wimbledon is his night,” said Guy Forget, the reviews from rivals following said they tried unsuccessfully she plans to play next, putting 59th-ranked Dominik Koepfer. main goal. tournament director. the match on television. to speak with Osaka before she her participation at Wimble- He was due back on court on He is chasing a ninth title at “We were all delighted to see “I’m not bothered by the pulled out. don and the Japan Olympics in Monday to tackle Matteo Ber- Wimbledon which starts on Roger back in Paris, where he outcome of this match at all,” Osaka said earlier that post- doubt. She also has withdrawn rettini for a place in the quar- June 28. played three high-level match- tweeted Britain’s , match news conferences are from a grass court tournament ter-finals. He is also scheduled to play es. We wish him all the best for a former world number one and detrimental to her mental in Berlin on June 14. However, having undergone the warm-up grass court tour- the rest of the season.” three-time major winner. health and likened the tradi- Osaka said her mental health two knee surgeries in 2020, the nament in Halle beginning on After winning his match, “Just seeing Federer at 39 off tional question and answer struggles began in 2018 when Swiss star had admitted there June 14, the day after the French Federer said that he was pacing the back of 2 knee surgeries format to “kicking people she won the first of her four were doubts over whether he’d Open ends. himself in his recovery. playing to an empty stadium when they’re down.” majors at the US Open in a con- make it. Federer, who made his Roland “All the matches I’ve played at 12.30am getting fired up is Osaka said she wanted to troversial final against Serena Federer is playing only his Garros debut in 1999 and was since the injury are information inspirational to me. Do what take time away from the game Williams. third tournament since last champion in 2009, was playing for the rest of the season,” he you love.”

Ogier wins Pavlyuchenkova’s back in quarters, Medvedev advances to face Tsitsipas Rally of Italy in AP | Paris Toyota 1-2 en years later, Anastasia Pavlyuchen- It’s a privilege and a great Tkova is back in the quarterfinals of sensation for me. Today it was the French Open after beating 2013 sem- ifinalist 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 working good for me, I felt like yesterday. my tactics were working even Former Wimbledon champion Marion if I missed some of my drop Bartoli, who was doing the courtside shots interview, congratulated her. STEFANOS TSITSIPAS Stefanos Tsitsipas is still looking for his Sebastien Ogier’s Toyota first major final, anywhere. the second set, to talk more quietly as The fifth-seeded Greek advanced to their enthusiasm got the better of them. AFP | Milan the last eight for the second straight year Azarenka got a telling off, too, of sorts: by beating 12th-seeded Spaniard Pablo a time violation warning for taking too orld champion Sebas- Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2, 7-5. long to in the third game of the de- Wtien Ogier of Toyota Tsitsipas, who lost in the semifinals to ciding set — which, coincidentally, hap- claimed victory in the Rally top-ranked Novak Djokovic at last year’s pened just as the wind was picking up. of Italy yesterday ahead of tournament, is a favorite among fans for ’s plays a return Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece hits a return to Tamara Zidansek, meanwhile, became Welsh teammate Elfyn Ev- his entertaining approach. to ’s Victoria Azarenka Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta the first Slovenian woman to reach the ans and Belgium’s Thierry “I love it, the fans love it, I Iove playing that hardly stopped him. He treated the the quarters at the Australian Open and quarterfinals of a major. Neuville of Hyundai. with people. Love the attention,” he said. crowd to some spectacular shots on a Wimbledon, but has never reached the She won 7-6 (4), 6-1 against Romanian The 52nd World Rally “It’s a privilege and a great feeling and warm and sunny Court Suzanne-Len- semifinals at any major. Sorana Cirstea after saving a set point Championship victory for sensation for me.” glen, especially in the 11th game of the She might face 23-time Grand Slam in a tight first set between the unseeded Frenchman Ogier allowed Tsitsipas next faces No. 2 Daniil Med- third set. champion next. players. the seven-time world cham- vedev and has lost six of their seven “I thought I needed a bit of madness,” The seventh-seeded American was to The 23-year-old Zidansek dropped to pion to extend his lead on career matches. Medvedev said in French after the match. play No. 21 in the fourth her knees and held her head in her hands Evans in the overall stand- Medvedev has reached two major fi- “I hit two monster at 5-5. It round later yesterday, with the winner after winning on her first match point. ings to 11 points after five of nals but had never even reached the was incredible.” facing Pavlyuchenkova. Zidansek’s run is even more impres- the 12 rounds. second round at Roland Garros before. For Pavlyuchenkova, too, but for dif- The former top-ranked Azarenka saved sive, considering the former snow - “A very good weekend,” The big-hitting Medvedev beat No. 22 ferent reasons. two break points before clinching the board enthusiast had never beaten a top was his assessment. Cristian Garin of Chile 6-2, 6-1, 7-5. “It’s just incredible, even that I’m still first set on a sunny Court Philippe-Cha- 10-ranked player before this tournament As championship lead- Garin had a medical timeout before the playing tennis such a long time after,” she trier, where the crowd was subdued. or been past the first round here. er he had the disadvantage start of the third set, taking a massage told her friend Bartoli. “It’s a surprise Less so the broadcast crew from France No. 33 Paula Badosa of Spain joined of opening on tricky, rock- to his neck and then his right shoulder. for me. I fought hard and I’m very happy Television, whose presenter and guests her in the last eight for the first time at filled roads bordered by Medvedev had a brief timeout around to win.” are perched up high above the players. any major, beating No. 20 Marketa Von- ditches. his right elbow at 0-2 in that set but The 29-year-old Russian has reached The match umpire asked them, during drousova 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.