Ilie Nastase will not be invited to the Royal Box at Wimbledon this summer, tournament organisers have said.
Romania’s Fed Cup captain, a former world number one, is currently under investigation over comments he made about Serena Williams’ unborn child.
Williams accused Nastase of racism after he was overheard asking if the child would be “chocolate with milk”.
He also insulted British player Johanna Konta and captain Anne Keothavong, and called a journalist “stupid”.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Wimbledon also announced record prize money of £31.6m for this year’s event, an increase of 12.5% on 2016.
The men’s and women’s singles champions will earn £2.2m each, with an increase to benefit players at each round of the draw. First-round singles losers will earn £35,000.
Overall prize money for the last year’s edition was £28.1m, with the singles champions earning £2m.
This year’s event gets under way on 3 July, the latest start since the 1895 edition, when play began on 8 July.
All England Club chairman Philip Brook confirmed 70-year-old Nastase, who reached the Wimbledon final in 1972 and 1976, would not be present.
“His actions were not very good and we condemn them. In terms of an invitation to the Royal Box, he is not going to receive an invitation this year,” Brook said.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has launched an investigation into remarks Nastase made during April’s Fed Cup match, when he also directed an angry outburst towards Konta that left the British number one in tears.
In an interview with the BBC later in April, the Romanian defended his remarks about world number one Williams.
“English people considered it was racist and everybody picked it up like that,” he said.
“The only person who can get upset maybe is Serena, but not you people in England. Why does everybody else get upset? I don’t understand. Whatever.”
Fifth seed Viktor Troicki won nearly half of his return points to beat Marcos Baghdatis 7-5, 6-4 on Tuesday at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open. Troicki is looking to capture his first title since winning the Apia International Sydney crown last year.
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The Serbian will next face #NextGenATP player Karen Khachanov, who converted six of his 17 break points against Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili to advance 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-1 in two hours.
Troicki’s countryman Dusan Lajovic had to battle for two hours and 41 minutes to beat seventh seed and #NextGenATP player Borna Coric of Croatia 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-5. The 26-year-old Lajovic faces Russian Mikhail Youzhny in the second round. Bosnian Damir Dzumhur set-up a second-round clash against No. 2 seed Marin Cilic with a 6-4, 7-5 victory against Greek qualifier Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Swiss star joined by wife for the famously fashionable event in New York City
When you’re invited to the gala known around the globe for hosting the biggest names in fashion, movies, music and modeling, what do you wear?
For Roger Federer, it was a Gucci tuxedo… with a crystal cobra on the back.
The 35-year-old World No. 4 and his wife, Mirka, looked stunning as they attended the ‘Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between’ Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday night. Among those in attendance at the hottest ticket in New York City were Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez, Serena Williams, Kim Kardashian West and Tom Ford, and the 91-time ATP World Tour titlist looked to have enjoyed sartorially schmoozing with Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
.@RealHughJackman Found a potential doubles partner inside #MetGala ? pic.twitter.com/fqeCnqCfVp
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) May 2, 2017
Federer also managed to grab a photobomb by actor Hugh Jackman.
Must study competition. There be mutants here #Wolverine #metgala @RealHughJackman pic.twitter.com/WDZbUaEdZU
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) May 2, 2017
The Swiss star is no stranger to style. At the end of 2016, he was crowned 2016’s Most Stylish Man by GQ after fans voted him king. In April, Federer opened up to the men’s style magazine as he fashionably posed in the Swiss mountains.
.@RealHughJackman Actually, I had the best partner already by my side ? pic.twitter.com/1RbFiW4r51
Juan Martin del Potro was nearly perfect during his clay-court season debut on Tuesday. The fifth seed struck eight aces and saved the lone break point faced to beat Japan’s Yuichi Sugita 6-1, 6-3 at the Millennium Estoril Open.
Del Potro, a two-time champion of the Portugal Open (2011, 2012), which preceded the Millennium Estoril Open, extended his Portugal win streak to 10 matches and has now won 19 consecutive sets. Sugita came in at a career-high No. 73 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after beating Estoril No. 1 seed Pablo Carreno Busta last week to reach the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell quarter-finals.
“I feel better than I thought before the match,” said del Potro. “I think I played a great match today. I feel good with my serve. I feel confidence all the time with my forehand, my backhand, my slices, and I feel I did well.”
The 28-year-old del Potro will next face American Ryan Harrison, who saved both break points in the third set of his 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 victory against Spanish veteran Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
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Harrison’s countryman Bjorn Fratangelo saved six of seven break points to upset sixth seed and home favourite Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-3, 6-4. The American qualifier will next face Japan’s Taro Daniel, who outlasted Argentina’s Renzo Olivo 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-5 in two hours and 55 minutes.
Defending champion Nicolas Almagro made quick work of eighth seed Benoit Paire, needing only 53 minutes to advance past the Frenchman 6-3, 6-2. All 13 of Almagro’s titles have come on clay, and he said he has a little extra motivation to add another one to his collection following the birth of his son, Nico, in February.
“I’m able to fight a little bit more on court because I want to win a title for him,” he said.
Joao Domingues, a 23-year-old Portuguese qualifier, celebrated his ATP World Tour debut in dramatic fashion in front of his home fans. The World No. 242 was down 2-5 in the third set but saved two match points in the decider to upset seventh seed Kyle Edmund of Great Britain 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2).
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The five-time Grand Slam winner needed to reach the final in Germany to make the world’s top 200 and be eligible for French Open qualifying. But defeat to Kristina Mladenovic in the last four pegged her ranking at 262.
She requires a wildcard to compete in qualifying or the main draw at the tournament in Paris, which starts on 28 May.
The French tennis federation is set to announce its decision on 16 May.
Briton Murray, 29, said the French Open and Wimbledon can do “whatever they want” regarding wildcards but added “there is something to be said for working your way back up” the rankings.
“[Sharapova’s] playing at a level where she’s capable of winning a tournament like Stuttgart already – it would be a three-, four-week period before she’d be competing at the biggest events again,” he said.
“To reach the semis in the first tournament back shows that very soon she’s going to be back up at the top of the game. It will be a matter of months.”
Murray added, however, that he “wouldn’t imagine” Sharapova’s form would have any bearing on a Grand Slam tournament’s decision to issue a wildcard.
The decision to assist Sharapova’s return to the WTA Tour has been criticised by rival players, with 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard branding the former world number one “a cheat” who should not have been allowed to play again.
‘When you cheat you forgo the privilege to take part in your sport’
‘My elbow is always sore’
Having missed Great Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final defeat to France with an elbow injury before returning in Monte Carlo, Murray continued his comeback at the Barcelona Open where he was beaten by Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals.
He will next compete on clay at the Madrid Open, starting on Monday, followed by the Italian Open on 15 May.
“My elbow is always sore, so that’s nothing to do with the injury – for the last three or four years, it’s always been a bit stiff,” said Murray, speaking at The Queen’s Club, where he will defend his Aegon Championship title next month.
“It was great in Barcelona for the amount of tennis I played – I pushed it, playing three hours and then having to come back the next day and play again, and the elbow felt really good.
“I just need to start serving better which hopefully will happen over the next few weeks.”
Three-time champion Philipp Kohlschreiber started his attempt for a fourth BMW Open by FWU title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against #NextGenATP player Casper Ruud on Tuesday in Munich. The 33-year-old German broke the 18-year-old Ruud four times in the 68-minute win.
“The start was a bit shaky but after that I think I was in very good control, and in the end I think it was a good win for me,” Kohlschreiber said.
The Augsburg native is making his ninth straight tournament appearance and 13th overall (28-9 record). Kohlschreiber won titles in 2007, 2012 and last year, and reached the final in 2013 and 2015.
Five of Kohlschreiber’s seven career ATP World Tour titles have come in Germany, and he boasts a match record of 109-57 (.657) in Germany, compared to 295-255 (.536) elsewhere. “It’s always good to come back to where you know you’re going to play good tennis,” he said.
Who has the best win-loss records? Find out in the FedEx ATP Performance Zone
The fifth seed will next face Argentine Horacio Zeballos, who outlasted Italian Andreas Seppi 5-7, 6-2, 7-5.
#NextGenATP player Hyeon Chung of South Korea continued his strong play of late, downing German wild card Maximilian Marterer 7-6(10), 4-6, 6-3. The 20-year-old Chung qualified and reached his third career ATP World Tour quarter-final last week at the the Barcelona Banc Open Sabadell before falling to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.
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Chung is among the 21-and-under players looking to qualify for the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held 7-11 November in Milan. The right-hander is currently in fourth place in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan. He will next play top seed Gael Monfils.
Sixth seed Mischa Zverev converted four of six break points to beat countryman Dustin Brown 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3. Zverev landed 70 per cent of his first serves in the first-round victory and will next meet Slovakian Martin Klizan, who prevailed against Argentine Nicolas Kicker 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
#NextGenATP Canadian writes about his journey rising the Emirates ATP Rankings on the ATP Challenger Tour
As I sat in my hotel room in Guadalajara after my final loss to Mirza Basic, I thought about the missed opportunity of winning my second straight Challenger title. I was exhausted by a long seven weeks of constant travel and tournament play. I missed my family and being home. The grind of the pro tour that I dreamed about all my life had led me to face the reality of what it takes to be here and succeed.
I talked to my coach Martin Laurendeau, who is also Canada’s Davis Cup captain, and texted my mom Tessa, who has been my coach for all my life through my ups and downs. After a few short sentences of encouragement, they helped put things in perspective. They made me focus on the positives of what I’ve been able to accomplish on the tour in such a short period of time.
I then texted my sponsor who is now my manager, Andrzej Kepinski, to talk about the match, and I will never forget his response: “Big congratulations, awesome tournament and awesome run leading up to this tournament. You competed and carried yourself like a seasoned pro and you should be proud of yourself”. With all my supporters being excited for me and my success at reaching another final on the ATP Challenger Tour, I realized that as much as I’m driven to perfection when I play, with my desire to win every point and every match, sometimes I’m too hard on myself.
My first ATP Challenger tour title in my home country here in Drummondville. Special thanks to… https://t.co/pCXJI0mewl
— Denis Shapovalov (@denis_shapo) March 19, 2017
I started thinking how much I love what I’m doing and how lucky I am to have such great opportunities that tennis brings me. Suddenly, the loss in the final wasn’t so upsetting. Mirza played great and deserved to win. I had a dream run of an ITF Futures title and semi-final in early March, which led me to my first Challenger title at home in Drummondville the following week, and then the final in Guadalajara.
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I reminded myself of my unbelievable run last year, winning Junior Wimbledon, beating Nick Kyrgios at the Rogers Cup and cracking the Top 250 [of the Emirates ATP Rankings], and that the second half of the season was more difficult than I expected in trying to transition to being a full-time pro. The year culminated in an ankle injury that kept me from training and competing for two months. At the time of the injury, I put on a brave face for the world, but deep inside I felt anxious and I lost a lot of confidence. Added to that was the pressure of the new responsibility that came to me by being fortunate enough to sign endorsement contracts with incredible companies like Nike and BioSteel, who put their trust in me.
Even though all my sponsors came on board telling me that they are supporting me long term and it will take some time to grow into a successful player on the ATP Challenger Tour and eventually the ATP World Tour, I felt the obligation to perform right away; to make them feel they made the right decision sponsoring me.
At the beginning of the year, I went to Australia to train for a few Challengers. In Adelaide, I defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert, which was my second career win over a Top 100 player. This gave me back the confidence and helped me believe that I could compete with the top guys.
With that win and countless hours of hard work during training, I earned a spot on the Davis Cup team, which is always a huge honour to me. Representing my country has always been a dream to me and being called to a starting team for the first time in my life was a dream come true. That magic moment of playing in front of the sold-out home crowd in Ottawa, against Great Britain, turned into the worst nightmare imaginable in a split second. As those who follow tennis know, in a moment of stress and anger, after being broken by Kyle Edmund in the third set, I tried to hit the ball out of the stadium and unintentionally hit chair umpire Arnaud Gabas in the face.
The most immediate aftermath is still a blur to me. I was in shock and sick with worry that I injured Arnaud. In the following days, I needed to face up to my stupid action and realized how quickly life can change. I let a lot of people down, including my country, Davis Cup teammates, supporters, and fans. I knew I couldn’t undo what happened, so the only thing left was to face my mistake and work on never letting this happen again. I stayed in touch with Arnaud to check on his recovery and he has been incredibly gracious and understanding. I think through this terrible incident we’ve become friends. I hope that in the future he will agree to umpire one of my matches.
As I stayed in my hotel room in Guadalajara, after speaking with my family, my coach, my manager and my friends, it occurred to me again that the Davis Cup incident was probably the most maturing experience for me since turning pro. It made me focus on my game and on the mental aspect of competing, which in turn brought me these latest results. Through it all, I found out who my true friends are and gained new friends as well. It motivated me to work even harder to succeed and just enjoy all these new experiences.
At the time, it was hard to imagine I would be standing with my first Challenger trophy just one month later in Drummondville. I have amazing memories from my time at that tournament. It all started there last year, when I won my first match on the Challenger Tour and reached the semis. To come full circle and win my first title there is very special. The crowd gave me so much energy all week and that experience is something I will never forget, no matter where this journey takes me. I love this game and can’t wait to get on the court every waking day. I hope I can compete here for years to come.
Challenger Chronicles I: Amir Weintraub Challenger Chronicles II: Skupski Brothers Challenger Chronicles III: Jason Jung Challenger Chronicles IV: James McGee
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