Paula Badosa faced sharp criticism after an incident with her racket during the 2026 Iasi Open, where she avoided disqualification in her semi-final. The former world No. 2 had to battle through a tense three-set win over Tamara Zidansek, prevailing 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1) to reach the final against Mayar Sherif.

Badosa’s run in Romania continued her strong record in WTA finals. She arrived at the championship match having never lost one, with previous titles in Belgrade in 2021, Indian Wells in 2021, Sydney in 2022 and Washington in 2024. But that perfect record came to an abrupt end against Sherif in the WTA 250 event. Badosa lost the opening set 6-4 and then retired while trailing 4-0 in the second.

Her place in the final also lifted her 22 spots to 90th in the rankings, although the semi-final controversy drew as much attention as the result itself. Early in the third set against Zidansek, she threw her racket off the court after a missed ball. The racket landed just short of spectators in the stands, and she received only a code violation warning from the chair umpire. Had it struck a fan, she would have been defaulted.

Rennae Stubbs, speaking on her podcast, was direct in her assessment of the incident. She said, “Automatic default. That was an absolute disgrace. You know as a player, when you let go of a racket out of your hand, whatever happens after that is on you. No matter if it’s ‘unlucky’.

“You had control of the racket in your hand, and you let it go. If it goes into the stands you should absolutely be defaulted immediately and that is the only way to stop it.”

Badosa later acknowledged the disappointment after the final, saying, “I’m always a player that’s very honest and real. I have to say I hate this moment right now, I hate losing a final and I’m really sorry that I had to do it in this way but I couldn’t keep up with my body so I apologise for that also.

“But I also want to say, one month ago I was in one of the worst losing streaks of my career and one month after I made one of the best winning streaks of my career…lately we have had a little more positivity.”

She is next scheduled to return at the WTA Hamburg Open this week.

Andy Murray collected three Grand Slam titles in a remarkable career, but he believes one achievement stands above them all in difficulty.

The British great ended a long wait for a men’s major champion from Great Britain at the 2012 US Open, where he beat Novak Djokovic in the final. That victory made him the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to lift a major trophy.

Murray’s breakthrough followed four previous defeats in Grand Slam finals. He later added another runners-up finish at the 2013 Australian Open before finally ending the 77-year wait for a home champion at Wimbledon, defeating Milos Raonic in the final.

He would go on to win Wimbledon again in 2016 and has said that missing out there would have left him with lasting regret. Speaking on the latest ATP Tour’s Aces No 1 Club feature, he said: “If I hadn’t won Wimbledon, certainly from a British sporting public perspective, my career would have been a failure,” he said on the latest ATP Tour’s Aces No 1 Club feature.

“The main feeling at the time was just relief. I wouldn’t have to spend the rest of my life thinking about, you know, what if, what could have been.”

Murray’s era overlapped with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who dominated the No 1 position in the ATP Rankings. Yet Murray still rose to world No 1 after winning four straight titles at the end of 2016. His defining moment came at the Paris Masters, where he became only the 26th man to reach the top of the rankings.

He then secured the year-end No 1 spot by winning the ATP Finals.

For Murray, that climb to the top outweighs the challenge of winning a major.

“To get to No 1 in the world when you’re surrounded by, you know, the greatest players of all time, that’s 52 weeks of really, really hard work and top performances to get there.

And I would argue it is a lot harder to achieve than winning a Grand Slam.”

Murray’s 2016 season also included titles at Wimbledon, the ATP Finals, the Shanghai Masters, the Paris Masters, Queen’s Club Championship, China Open and Vienna Open, plus singles gold at the Rio Games, which did not award ranking points. He also finished runner-up at the Australian Open, French Open, Madrid Open, Italian Open and Cincinnati Open that year. He retired after the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Goran Ivanisevic has offered a striking assessment of Arthur Fils, praising the Frenchman’s level and insisting his ceiling is among the very best in the sport.

Fils brought Ivanisevic on board in February, soon after returning from a serious back injury that had ruled him out since August of the previous year. The move linked the 22-year-old with one of tennis’s most respected coaches, a man who helped Novak Djokovic collect nine Grand Slam titles between 2019 and 2024.

Ivanisevic’s own resume carries weight. The Croatian won Wimbledon in 2001, climbed to world No 2, and later guided Marin Cilic to his only major title at the 2014 US Open.

Fils has backed up the optimism with results in 2026. He owns a 23-8 record, lifted the Barcelona Open, finished runner-up in Doha, and reached the semi-finals in Miami and Madrid. His run was interrupted by a hip injury in Rome, which forced him to miss Roland Garros before he came back at Wimbledon.

The Frenchman reached a career-high ranking of 14th in February 2025 and is now 23rd. Even so, his standing in the race to Turin remains strong. Despite missing both the Australian Open and French Open in 2026, he is 10th in the Race to Turin, the season-long system that decides the eight qualifiers for the ATP Finals.

Speaking to Croatian outlet Sportske Novosti, Ivanisevic was unequivocal about Fils’ prospects and said he is “definitely a top five player.”

“I’m super happy, he’s exactly the type of player I wanted to work with,” said Ivanisevic.

“He’s young, he’s one of the biggest talents, someone whose game is enjoyable, he’s attractive, he’s powerful.

“It’s a shame that at the moment when he was in shape he had problems with injuries.

“We found the right people to solve it. He played Wimbledon, it could have been better, but it was great that he played at all.

“I think he’s capable of entering the top 10 by the end of the year, and he’s definitely a top five player. As long as he’s healthy.”