#tennis-stars

#tennis-stars

Set in the scenic California desert in Indian Wells, with top-notch facilities, the tournament has been voted the tennis players' favorite of the year. It is often referred to as the "fifth slam" for being the biggest tournament outside the four majors. The intimate, more laid-back experience is unique, with fans able to get within shouting distance of Naomi Osaka or Aryna Sabalenka as they practice or stretch out on the idyllic grass lawn.

On a Wednesday in the desert last March, Reilly Opelka, the American with a cannon of a serve, was grinding out a tough match against French number one Arthur Rinderknech. Nearby, former US Open men's finalist Kei Nishikori beat Luca Nardi, part of the new wave of Italian talent, while Brazilian phenom Joao Fonseca closed out Pavel Kotov, who reached number 50 in the world in 2024.

Mikel Arteta has said failing to maintain his "great" relationship with Pep Guardiola amid a title race would set a "bad example" for sport and instead pointed to the respectful rivalry between tennis legends Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. The pair first met at Barcelona's La Masia academy when Arteta was just 15 years old and he later worked under Guardiola at Manchester City for three seasons prior to becoming Arsenal boss in 2019.

Emma Raducanu's hopes of a smoother Australian Open run have been dashed by another potential third-round match against world number one Aryna Sabalenka. British number one Raducanu is seeded at a major for the first time since the 2022 US Open but has been pitted against the top seed at the earliest opportunity. The 23-year-old will face Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew in her opening match, with Austria's Anastasia Potopova or Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands waiting in the second round.

I don't really feel like there is a lot of house money or underdog mentality that I'm feeling, because I don't feel like I have been playing anything outside of my comfort zone or outside of my normal level, Jovic said. I have come from two other tournaments where I was playing every day and winning a lot of matches, as well.