DUBAI: Corentin Moutet was booed off the court after smashing his racket and retiring midway through the second set of his first-round match against fellow Frenchman Harold Mayot at the Madrid Open.
Trailing 3-6, 2-3 on Wednesday, Moutet smashed his racket in frustration after losing a point. He walked to his chair to get a new one but, after what seemed like an exchange of words with the jeering crowd, headed to the umpire to signal his retirement.
The 26-year-old later said on X that he had been struggling with a lingering back injury throughout the match.
“I went to do an MRI directly after my match I’m still waiting for the result,” Moutet wrote on X after the match. “I wanted to try today but I didn’t know that it would be that bad.”
“My back didn’t allow me to do much. I hope to be back soon on the court. All the best to my opponent for the rest of the tournament.”
Moutet smashes racket in front of jeering crowd as injury ends Madrid run
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Moutet smashes racket in front of jeering crowd as injury ends Madrid run
- The 26-year-old later said on X that he had been struggling with a lingering back injury throughout the match.
Inter looking to power back up ahead of Champions League match at Barcelona
- Inter is hoping it won’t have to make a similarly arduous journey after an unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain to a standstill
- Inter heads to Barcelona following a dire run of results that has seen its dreams of another treble evaporate
The last time the two teams met in the final four of Europe’s elite club competition, in 2010, Barcelona had to make a 15-hour journey by bus to Milan after an ash cloud caused by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull shut down air space.
Barcelona lost that first leg 3-1 and a stout defensive performance by Inter in the return match saw it advance to the final 3-2 on aggregate — where it beat Bayern Munich to clinch a historic treble under Jose Mourinho.
Inter is hoping it won’t have to make a similarly arduous journey after an unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday.
Power had almost fully returned to Spain early Tuesday morning and Inter’s charter flight was still scheduled to take off for Barcelona at 5 p.m. local time ahead of the first leg of their semifinal on Wednesday.
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi will be hoping his team can power back up for the game as well.
Inter heads to Barcelona following a dire run of results that has seen its dreams of another treble evaporate.
For the first time in more than 13 years, Inter has lost three straight matches without scoring a goal.
Since a 2-2 draw against Bayern in the Champions League quarterfinals, the Nerazzurri have lost to Bologna and Roma in Serie A and AC Milan in the Italian Cup — all by the same 1-0 scoreline.
That has also seen them been leapfrogged at the top of the Serie A table by Napoli, slipping three points behind the new league leader.
“The three defeats hurt and we’re not used to this, we have to look at ourselves and try to recover our physical and mental energy,” Inzaghi said.
Those three games, however, had something in common: Marcus Thuram was missing.
Thuram, who has been out with a left thigh issue, has scored 17 goals and provided nine assists across all competitions for Inter this season.
Without the France forward, Lautaro Martinez has appeared fatigued attempting to carry Inter’s attack. And Marko Arnautovic, Thuram’s replacement, has been ineffective.
Thuram has returned to training and could even start on Wednesday.
“We’ll head to Barcelona and we will play them with respect, not fear,” Inzaghi added.
Real Madrid defender Rüdiger expected to miss the rest of the season after knee surgery
- The club did not give a timeline for his return. Rüdiger had to be replaced in extra time of Madrid 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday
- He made headlines for shouting at the referee from the bench and for apparently throwing a small bag of ice onto the field
MADRID: Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger underwent knee surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
Madrid said Rüdiger successfully underwent surgery on a meniscus tear in his left knee and will begin “his recovery process shortly.” The club did not give a timeline for his return.
Rüdiger had to be replaced in extra time of Madrid 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.
He made headlines for shouting at the referee from the bench and for apparently throwing a small bag of ice onto the field.
Rüdiger apologized for his behavior but the incident prompted former Germany player Dietmar Hamann to call for the defender to be left out of Germany’s squad for the Nations League final four in June.
German national team sporting director Rudi Völler also criticized Rüdiger, saying he needed to show “class” and respect for others.
Germany plays Portugal in the Nations League semifinals in Munich on June 4.
Coach Stefano Pioli confident as Al-Nassr prepare for AFC Champions League Elite semi showdown
- Riyadh giant Al-Nassr are one of three Saudi Pro League sides in the semifinals
- Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli have also advanced to the last four and will meet on Tuesday
JEDDAH: Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli declared his side injury-free ahead of Wednesday’s Asian Champions League Elite semifinal against Kawasaki Frontale in Jeddah as the Saudi Pro League side look to reach the final for the first time in almost 30 years.
The Riyadh-based outfit last made the decider in 1995, but a brace from Jhon Duran and strikes by Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo sealed a 4-1 win over Yokohama F Marinos on Saturday to move the Saudi side to the cusp of a first title.
“We are ready for the match, but in training we will decide which group is going to play,” Pioli said. “The team is ready to play the game with great spirit, high performance.”
Al-Nassr are one of three Saudi Pro League sides in the semifinals, the first time a single nation has dominated the latter stages of the competition to such an extent.
The huge injection of cash into the country’s leading clubs by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in 2023 which prompted the signing of numerous high-profile players from around the world is having a major impact on this year’s competition.
Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli have also advanced to the last four and will meet on Tuesday.
Japan’s Kawasaki are the only team from their half of the confederation left in the competition after their win over Qatar’s Al-Sadd, and the J-League side have been further disadvantaged by having one day less to recover than Al-Nassr.
Frontale needed extra-time to defeat Felix Sanchez’s side and coach Shigetoshi Hasebe admitted he was concerned about his players’ lack of freshness ahead of the Al-Nassr clash.
“All the players are tired because they played for 120 minutes, which is very difficult for us,” he said. “But we’ll be playing in a different stadium, so we can have a new feeling and I can imagine the players will play very well tomorrow night.”
Kawasaki midfielder Kento Tachibanada stressed it was important not to obsess over the reputations of their opponents.
“The key point is not to be afraid of the famous players and their big names,” he said. “Many people think the teams from Saudi will win, but I want to break that type of image tomorrow night.”
Power outage still affecting Madrid Open tennis tournament. Opening of the gates delayed on Tuesday.
Power outage still affecting Madrid Open tennis tournament. Opening of the gates delayed on Tuesday.
- They did not immediately announce any schedule change regarding the matches
- The power went out at 12:34 p.m. local time (1034 GMT) on Monday and 22 matches had to be canceled for the day
MADRID: There was still no power at the Caja Magica tennis complex that is hosting the Madrid Open on Tuesday, putting in jeopardy the resumption of play a day after several matches had to be canceled.
Tournament organizers said the opening of the gates for fans was delayed until 11 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) because of the outage. They did not immediately announce any schedule change regarding the matches.
“Due to reasons beyond the organization’s control, the Caja Mágica is still without power supply as of this morning. As a result, the opening of the gates has been delayed, and we expect to open them at 11 a.m.,” they said.
The power went out at 12:34 p.m. local time (1034 GMT) on Monday, stopping two ATP singles matches and one doubles match that were underway. A total of 22 matches had to be canceled for the day.
Organizers said the games were called off “to guarantee the safety of the players, fans and personnel.” Spectators were told to leave the sports complex.
Power was restored at night through most parts of Madrid, and organizers had said late Monday that play would resume on Tuesday.
Among the matches expected for Tuesday included second-ranked Alexander Zverev facing Francisco Cerundolo. On the women’s side, the remaining six fourth-round matches were scheduled, including top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka facing Peyton Stearns and second-ranked Iga Swiatek taking on Diana Shnaider.
The blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill, knocking out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATM machines.
Australian doubles player Purcell accepts 18-month doping ban
- Max Purcell has admitted receiving intravenous vitamin infusions of more than 500ml on December 16 and 20, 2023
- The limit under the World Anti-Doping Code is 100ml in a 12-hour period
SYDNEY: Australia’s two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Max Purcell has accepted an 18-month doping ban, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old in December took a voluntary suspension, describing himself at the time as “devastated” and saying he had not intended to break anti-doping rules.
Purcell has admitted receiving intravenous vitamin infusions of more than 500ml on December 16 and 20, 2023. The limit under the World Anti-Doping Code is 100ml in a 12-hour period.
His ban will end on June 11, 2026, taking into account time served out of the sport.
He will also forfeit results and prize money for the period between December 16, 2023 and February 3, 2024.
Purcell’s co-operation and information sharing with the ITIA allowed for a 25 percent reduction in sanction, it said.
ITIA chief executive Karen Moorhouse said: “This case does not involve a player testing positive for a prohibited substance but demonstrates that the anti-doping rules are broader than that.”
Writing on Instagram, Purcell said: “I have accepted the mistake I made and will make sure I’m even more diligent with everything regarding the integrity of the sport.”
Purcell won the 2022 Wimbledon doubles title alongside fellow Australian Matt Ebden and the US Open crown in 2024 with Jordan Thompson.
In his social media post, Purcell said he had been unable to sleep and eat properly because of his worries over the case.
“I’m so glad this is finally over for me and I can move on with my life,” he added.
It is the latest doping controversy in tennis.
Former women’s number one Iga Swiatek is back in action after last year accepting a one-month ban after testing positive for a banned substance.
Men’s number one Jannik Sinner has been out of action since accepting a three-month doping ban in February after twice testing positive for traces of the steroid clostebol in March last year.
The three-time Grand Slam winner is due to return before the Rome Open, which runs from May 7-18.
