Tennis news today: Dominic Thiem crashes out in first round of French Open, Sloane Stephens supports WTA's decision to strip Wimbledon of ranking points | 23 May 2022
Two-time French Open finalist Dominic Thiem was knocked out in the first round of the tournament this year. Thiem is yet to win a match since returning to the tour in March this year.
The WTA, along with the ATP as well, decided not to award any ranking points for Wimbledon due to their decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players. Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens recently stated that she stands firmly behind the WTA's move.
Angelique Kerber returns to the top 20 of the rankings following her title-winning run in Strasbourg, while Novak Djokovic continues his reign atop the men's rankings.
Coco Gauff got in a little bit of trouble during her first-round match at the French Open, as she received a warning from the umpire for on-court coaching.
Here's a round-up of the day's headlines:
Dominic Thiem loses in first round of 2022 French Open
Dominic Thiem's losing streak continued at the French Open, as the Austrian lost 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to Hugo Dellien in the first round. It was a rather poor performance from Thiem, as he failed to generate even a single break point opportunity.
Since making his comeback earlier this year, the 28-year old has lost all seven of his matches. Thiem has won just a single set in his seven losses so far. He's now considering competing in Challenger events to get some wins under his belt before returning to the ATP tour.
Sloane Stephens supports WTA's decision to strip Wimbledon of ranking points
Wimbledon has banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing this year. The WTA and ATP felt that the move was discriminatory and retaliated by stripping Wimbledon of its ranking points.
Speaking in her post-match conference after her first-round win at the French Open, Sloane Stephens supported the stance taken by the governing body of tennis. She said:
"I think when you look at the principles and what our tour stands for, discrimination will never be tolerated. That's exactly what's happening."
Sloane Stephens, a longtime player council member, strongly supported WTA's decision to strip #Wimbledon's ranking points.
"I think when you look at the principles and what our tour stands for, discrimination will never be tolerated.
That's exactly what's happening."
Stephens made a winning start to her Roland Garros campaign, staging a comeback to defeat Jule Niemeier 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
Angelique Kerber back in top 20 of WTA rankings
Former World No. 1 Angelique Kerber had a rather underwhelming year. In the lead-up to the French Open, she hadn't won a single match on clay.
Kerber took a last-minute wildcard to compete at the Strasbourg Open and the decision paid off handsomely. The German ended up winning the title and is now back in the top 20 of the rankings at No. 17.
Kerber is up against Magdalena Frech in the first round of the 2022 French Open. The former hasn't made it past the first round of the tournament in the previous three editions.
Novak Djokovic begins 371st week as World No. 1
Twenty-time Major champion Novak Djokovic's record-breaking streak as the top-ranked player in the world continues. This is the Serb's 371st week at the top of the rankings. Djokovic now just seven weeks short of overtaking Steffi Graf's tally of 377 weeks as the World No. 1 player.
The rest of the top 10 in the men's rankings remains the same.
Coco Gauff receives warning for on-court coaching during first-round win at French Open
Teenager Coco Gauff got in trouble with the umpire during her first-round match at the 2022 French Open. The umpire saw her father making some gestures, which she construed as on-court coaching.
Gauff staunchly defended herself from this accusation. She reportedly told the umpire (via Bastien Fachan on Twitter):
"I literally tell him since I was eight years old, don’t talk to me in the match. I know you're not accusing me of anything, I'm just letting you know that it's the first time a ref has said this to me."
Coco Gauff to Marijana Veljovic on her coaching warning:
'I literally tell him since I was 8 years old, don’t talk to me in the match. I know you're not accusing me of anything, I'm just letting you know that it's the first time a ref has said this to me’ https://t.co/1XsUhGIsJY
Gauff overcame a shaky start to defeat Rebecca Marino 7-5, 6-0 in the first round. She's set to face Alison Van Uytvanck in the next round.
Also Check Out :- French Open 2022 Schedule