Tennis news today: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams lead 2022 Cincinnati Open entry lists, Alexander Zverev braces for comeback following surgery, and more | 20 July 2022
All the top players across the men's and women's tours are preparing to compete at this year's Cincinnati Open. The sport's biggest names, including Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek, among others, feature on the entry list for the 2022 edition.
Alexander Zverev suffered a horrific ankle injury at the French Open, for which he underwent surgery. He seems to be recovering well, and shared a video of himself hitting some groundstrokes. Australian Open semifinalist Kyle Edmund, who hasn't played a singles match since October 2020, is gearing up for a comeback as well.
Elsewhere, Fabio Fognini and Aljaz Bedene got into a heated spat after their first-round clash in Hamburg. The umpire had to jump in to stop the fight as well.
Martina Trevisan, the 2022 French Open semifinalist and home favorite at the Palermo Open, had to withdraw from the tournament due to a back injury. 2018
Here's a round-up of the day's headlines:
Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal headline 2022 Cincinnati Open entry lists
The 2022 Cincinnati Open is set to be a star-studded affair, with almost the entire top 40 on the men's and women's side set to compete.
Serena Williams, Bianca Andreescu, Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka have gotten direct entry using protected ranking. Williams is also participating in Toronto, and the last time she competed in both events was in 2015.
Cincinnati men's & women's entry lists https://t.co/hodPw1FyRe
While Novak Djokovic finds himself on the Cincinnati Open entry list, it remains to be seen if he'll be granted entry into the US due to the vaccine mandate. As far as Rafael Nadal is concerned, the Spaniard is recuperating from an abdominal tear he sustained at Wimbledon.
Nadal will compete in Montreal before the Cincinnati Open, so there is a chance of him pulling out from the latter tournament to avoid taxing his body after an injury.
Alexander Zverev posts update regarding his health
World No. 2 Alexander Zverev's campaign at the French Open came to an unfortunate end as he took a nasty fall and rolled his ankle.
He tore all three of his ligaments and had to undergo surgery to treat the issue. The German is slowly getting back to his best now, as he shared a video of himself practicing some groundstrokes.
Zverev is on the entry list for both the Montreal Open and Cincinnati Open, but it remains to be seen if he will show up to compete or withdraw later on.
Fabio Fognini and Aljaz Bedene get into a war of words at Hamburg European Open
Fabio Fognini recorded a hard-fought three-set win over Aljaz Bedene in the first round of the Hamburg European Open. When the two came to the net to greet each other, they got into an argument, apparently due to a bad line call.
Pretty big argument between Fognini and Bedene 😮 https://t.co/u9fbrOHsi9
After a while, things got so heated that the chair umpire had to jump in to placate them. Fognini will now take on Karen Khachanov in the second round.
Martina Trevisan withdraws from the Palermo Open
Martina Trevisan was the star attraction at the Palermo Open, which is being held in her native Italy. Unfortunately, the 2022 French Open semifinalist had to withdraw from the tournament due to a back injury.
Trevisan has been replaced by lucky loser Carolina Alves in the draw.
Kyle Edmund set to make his comeback at the Citi Open in Washington
Former World No. 14 Kyle Edmund is set to return to the tour at the Citi Open in Washington next month.
Injuries have sidelined him for quite some time, with his last singles match being in October 2020. Edmund did, however, compete in a tournament this year. The Brit participated in mixed doubles at Wimbledon, losing in the first round.