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Djokovic accepts missing daughter Tara’s birthday as US Open quarter-final approaches
Djokovic faces Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-final and will miss daughter Tara’s birthday now.
Novak Djokovic’s progress to the US Open quarter-finals has come with trade-offs. The 38-year-old skipped pre‑US Open tournaments to spend time with his family, a decision that left him short of match rhythm, yet he nonetheless overcame niggles and rust to reach another Grand Slam last eight.
That run carries a personal cost. Djokovic will face Taylor Fritz on Tuesday and the match falls on the same day his daughter Tara celebrates her birthday. When asked about missing the family occasion, the 24‑time Grand Slam champion acknowledged his disappointment.
“It is what it is,” began Djokovic. “We predicted that might happen. She was not very happy about it, me being absent from the birthday party. So, don’t remind me of that, please.
“Those are types of things that I really don’t want to be missing anymore. So, it’s just on a personal level for me important to be there, to show up, you know, for the people that have been showing up for me for all these years playing tennis.”
He also promised to make his absence felt in other ways, combining a pursuit of victory with birthday gifts. “At least I’m going to try to win and give her that kind of present, as I’m going to send some nice presents for her birthday party.
“Hopefully, the win can be something she can be happy with. But again, yeah, daddy away and daddy present is a big difference. And I know that I, but it is what it is this year.”
Djokovic has been explicit about shifting priorities as his career continues. He explained his decision before the tournament: “I decided not to play (US Open warm-up tournaments) because I wanted to spend more time with my family,” and added: “And to be honest, you know, I think I earned my right and have the luxury of kind of choosing, picking and choosing where I want to go and what I want to play.
“It’s just not any more prioritizing the heavy schedule as I used to. I’m not chasing the rankings or building up my points or defending, et cetera. I just don’t think about it anymore.
“For me, it’s really about where do I find motivation and joy? Where will I be inspired to play the best tennis? And where do I care to be, really, and play? And Slams are obviously the four main tournaments where I always feel the most motivation.”
He has said he does not know when or where he will call time on his career, but his choices at this US Open underline that family considerations are playing an increasing role.
ATP French Open Grand Slam
Auger-Aliassime advances to first Roland Garros quarterfinal, completes Canadian Grand Slam milestone
Auger-Aliassime reached his first Roland Garros quarterfinal and became the first Canadian man ever.
Felix Auger-Aliassime continued his run at Roland Garros on Monday, defeating Alejandro Tabilo 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 to reach his first quarterfinal at the clay major.
The victory marked two milestones for the No. 4 seed. It was his first trip to the Roland Garros quarterfinal; his previous best showings at the tournament were fourth-round exits in 2022, when he lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal, and in 2024, when he fell to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. It also made him the first Canadian man ever to reach the quarterfinals or better at all four Grand Slam events. Not just in the Open Era, but ever.
In a match between Canadian-born players—Auger-Aliassime was born in Montreal and Tabilo in Toronto, though he now competes for Chile—Auger-Aliassime seized control early. He broke in the fourth game to lead 3-1 and closed the first set in 39 minutes. The second set was tighter; Tabilo produced chances, including a break point with Auger-Aliassime serving at 3-4, but Auger-Aliassime saved it, held, then secured the only break for a 6-5 lead and served out the set.
Tabilo held to open the third set, but Auger-Aliassime then ran off six consecutive games. He finished the match with a powerful backhand return winner after two hours and six minutes.
“My best match so far in the tournament,” he said. “Over the victory, it feels good. It feels good to play the way that I ambition to play in this game. Today, in a Grand Slam, this is the type of match that you want to play. I’m happy with my performance.”
Waiting in the quarterfinals is No. 10 seed Flavio Cobolli, who beat Zachary Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5) earlier in the day. Cobolli holds a 2-0 head-to-head edge over Auger-Aliassime, with both wins coming in 2024: Acapulco (2-6, 6-3, 6-2) and Cincinnati (6-3, 6-2).
ATP French Open Grand Slam
Fonseca’s Paris surge: a 19-year-old handling the hard part at Roland Garros
Fonseca’s Paris run: the 19-year-old beat Djokovic and Casper Ruud, showing power and poise. Greatly
Joao Fonseca followed a headline-making third-round victory over Novak Djokovic with another major statement at Roland Garros, defeating two-time finalist Casper Ruud in four hours and minus four minutes of drama, 7-5, 7-6 (8), 5-7, 6-2. The 19-year-old Brazilian, already one of the tournament’s most talked-about young players, is now one of two teenagers through to the quarterfinals alongside Rafael Jodar.
Fonseca’s path here included a remarkable comeback against Djokovic, becoming just the second man to beat Djokovic at Roland Garros after dropping the first two sets, a mark previously set by Jurgen Melzer in 2010. On Sunday he traded heavy forehands and long rallies with the 27-year-old clay specialist before pulling away late. The final numbers underscored how close the contest was: each man finished with 51 winners and an identical 52 errors. Fonseca’s backhand, however, proved the decisive edge in several key moments.
Asked about his versatility in a post-match interview with Mats Wilander, Fonseca said: “It’s more like heart, or mind, I don’t know, I just try to be me on the court. Try to be happy, try to hit winners, try to hit good shots, try to be entertainment … try to be me, and that’s what it is.”
Those words echoed across a week that also drew the attention of Gustavo Kuerten, who watched the match and appeared pleased with the way Fonseca is building on a Brazilian legacy. Fonseca is a 6-foot-2 right-hander with notable power and a broad set of weapons; his temperament and shotmaking have become a central part of his rise.
The run here follows a turbulent sophomore season: a nagging back injury that affected his off-season preparation, an early Australian Open exit and a 1-3 record heading into Indian Wells. He has been careful about expectations, saying in Monte Carlo, “I think the expectations are going to come. People see young players doing great things, and they pull us into the top of the rankings. People need time. Everyone has their own time, so I want to do my history. I hope I’ll be there competing against them [top players], but people need to understand that I need time to become what they want me to do and I want to become.”
Fonseca’s run now brings fresh comparisons and cautions; Jim Courier advised, “Be careful of that hangover.” Still, after five-set wins over Dino Prizmic and Djokovic and Sunday’s victory over Ruud, Fonseca’s immediate problem is simple: maintain the level that has taken him this far. I just try to be me on the court. Try to be happy, try to hit winners, try to hit good shots, try to be entertainment … and that’s what it is. Joao Fonseca
ATP French Open Grand Slam
Roland Garros fines Adolfo Daniel Vallejo $65,000 after sexist remark about chair umpire
Vallejo fined $65,000 by Roland Garros after saying the match ‘has to be refereed by a man’ in 5 sets
Roland Garros has imposed a $65,000 fine on Paraguayan Adolfo Daniel Vallejo after comments he made about the chair umpire following his second-round match.
The 22-year-old, ranked 71st, lost a nearly five-hour, five-set match to 17-year-old Frenchman Moise Kouame. Vallejo led 5-2 in the fifth set before the contest was decided in a tiebreaker. After the match he criticized Brazil’s Ana Carvalho, saying she was not strong enough to handle the partisan crowd and that such a match “has to be refereed by a man.”
“It’s a very demanding crowd and you need a lot of strength to go against the crowd,” he told Spanish-language outlet Clay. “The crowd was very out of line, but I understand they’re supporting their compatriot. It’s quite an intense crowd and that’s why I was prepared; I already knew it would be like that and, to be honest, it didn’t harm me, but rather strengthened him.”
Roland Garros and the French Tennis Federation called the remarks “unacceptable” and said Vallejo would receive a “significant sanction.” “The competence of an umpire is not determined by their gender, but by their professionalism and ability to officiate at the highest level,” the statement read. “The outcome of a sporting event, whether positive or negative, can never justify or excuse such remarks.”
Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo told reporters the fine was “representing roughly half of his prize money.” Organizers noted that players reaching the second round at the French Open receive 130,000 euros ($151,000) and later clarified that the fine was $65,000, not euros. “This is clearly unacceptable,” Mauresmo said. “Once again, such remarks have no place here.”
Vallejo subsequently said his comments had been misrepresented and issued an apology on social media. “my comments were not meant in the way they have been understood.” “I have respect for the umpire and for the job they do, after a [five-hour] battle I was very heated and with a lot of emotions, I apologize,” Vallejo wrote on Instagram late on Friday. “I also want to clarify that I didn’t blame the lost [sic] on her, she did a good job throughout the whole match.”
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