From L-R: Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek and Kim Clijsters.
The 2022 Italian Open is right around the corner and several players have already arrived in Rome and begun their training. Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek and Garbine Muguruza were some of the players spotted practicing ahead of the tournament.
Off the field, four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters, who recently retired for the third time, is set to close her tennis academy in Belgium.
Reigning Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova continues to be on the sidelines due to an elbow injury. She’s set to skip the upcoming Italian Open as well.
Ons Jabeur and Jessica Pegula are set to fight for the title at the Madrid Open, while Rafael Nadal saved four match points to advance to the quarterfinals.
Here’s a round-up of the day’s news:
Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka and others begin prep for Italian Open
The clay season continues with the Italian Open being the next stop for ATP and WTA players. While some of their colleagues are still competing at the Madrid Open, most players have arrived in Rome and begun training for the Italian Open.
Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek and Garbine Muguruza were some of the players seen practicing on Thursday.
Swiatek is the defending champion on the women’s side and will be the favorite to win back-to-back titles at the Italian Open. The World No. 1 has won four titles on the trot over the last three months.
Kim Clijsters’ academy to cease all operations from July 1
Former World No. 1 Kim Clijsters, who ran her own tennis academy in Belgium, has taken the tough decision to shut it down. The pandemic made things difficult in many ways, including financially, and with Clijsters relocating to the US, it became difficult for her to keep track of things as well.
The full statement regarding the matter, which was released on the academy’s Facebook page, can be read here. It read:
“The Kim Clijsters Academy, an initiative of the former world number one from Limburg, is to cease all activities from 1 July. ‘Eight years ago Kim had the dream of developing an internationally renowned training school in Bree, but due in part to the corona epidemic and Kim’s move to the US, we must now end this dream,’ says Ruben Clijsters, Kim’s nephew and manager of the Academy.”
Clisters opened the academy back in 2014. World No. 28 Elise Mertens was one of the top players who trained there.
Barbora Krejcikova to miss Italian Open
World No. 3 Barbora Krejcikova still hasn’t recovered from an elbow injury, causing her to miss yet another tournament in the form of the Italian Open.
She hasn’t competed since getting injured at the Qatar Open in February. The Czech has skipped the entire clay season so far, which doesn’t bode well for the upcoming title defense at Roland Garros. Krejcikova won the singles and doubles title at the French Open last year.
As things stand, she is set to compete at the Strasbourg Open before heading to Paris. However, her injury seems quite serious and has now cast doubt on whether she’ll compete at Roland Garros at all.
Ons Jabeur and Jessica Pegula reach Madrid Open final
Ons Jabeur and Jessica Pegula have reached the biggest final of their careers at the Madrid Open. The Tunisian defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals while Pegula won 6-3, 6-4 against Jil Teichmann.
Both players have been quite consistent over the past year and have slowly risen up the rankings with several solid results. They are now set to duke it out to win one of the biggest titles on the tour. Pegula could also make her top 10 debut if she wins the title.
Rafael Nadal saves four match points en route to sealing quarterfinal berth at Madrid Open
Rafael Nadal was on course for a comfortable win over David Goffin in the third round of the Madrid Open. The Spaniard led 6-3, 5-3 and had two match points, including one on his own serve, but went on to lose the second set.
Nadal then saved four match points in the third set tie-break and closed out the match on his fourth opportunity to win 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (9). He will square off against compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.
The former World No. 1 has won both of their previous matches. Nadal recorded a straight-sets win in Madrid last year and a three-set victory in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Open this year.
