Frances Tiafoe out of U.S. Davis Cup team after run at U.S. Open

Associated PressSep 10, 2022, 6:51 PM EDT

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NEW YORK — U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe pulled out of the United States team that will play group stage matches in the Davis Cup next week in Glasgow, Scotland.

The U.S. Tennis Association announced Tiafoe’s withdrawal.

Tiafoe, a 24-year-old from Maryland who was seeded 22nd at Flushing Meadows, became the first American man to get to the U.S. Open semifinals since Andy Roddick was the tournament’s runner-up in 2006.

Roddick was the last man from the country to win any Grand Slam tournament when he earned the trophy in New York three years before that.

Tiafoe’s run ended with a five-set loss to No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz, a 19-year-old from Spain. Alcaraz will meet No. 7 seed Casper Ruud of Norway in Sunday’s final, with the winner collecting his first Grand Slam title and rising to No. 1 in the ATP rankings for the first time.

Captivating crowds in Arthur Ashe Stadium with his superb play and unbridled enthusiasm, Tiafoe reached the second major quarterfinal of his career by eliminating Rafael Nadal in the fourth round in New York – ending the 22-time Slam champion’s 22-match unbeaten run at major tournaments.

Tiafoe followed that up by defeating No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev to get to the semifinals.

“Obviously, through my career, I’ve been pretty sporadic (at) playing well, (then) veering off for a while,” Tiafoe said. “I’ve always backed myself against the best players in the world. I’m doing it on a consistent basis, starting to beat guys more readily. Ready to take the next step.”

The USTA said Tiafoe would not be replaced on the Davis Cup roster for the Americans, who will start by facing Britain on Wednesday. The other U.S. players are Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Jack Sock and Rajeev Ram.

U.S. Davis Cup captain Mardy Fish will miss the trip to Scotland because he got COVID-19, and Bob Bryan will fill in as acting captain. Bryan was a member of the U.S. squad that won the Davis Cup in 2007.

Britain’s team is expected to include three-time major champion Andy Murray and Dan Evans, who is ranked 23rd this week.

Davis Cup group stage matches also will be held in Bologna, Italy; Valencia, Spain; and Hamburg, Germany, from Tuesday through Sept. 18.

The top two teams from each group advance to the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain, on Nov. 22-27.

Gael Monfils withdraws from French Open with wrist injury

Associated PressJun 1, 2023, 11:34 AM EDT

Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

PARIS — A thrilling five-set victory took a toll on Gael Monfils, whose withdrawal from the French Open handed No. 6 Holger Rune a walkover to the third round.

The 36-year-old Frenchman said he has a strained left wrist and can’t continue.

He battled Sebastian Baez for nearly four hours on Court Philippe Chatrier before beating the Argentine 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 in a first-round match that ended at 12:18 a.m. local time.

The victory was Monfils’ first at tour level this year, as the veteran was coming back from heel surgery.

“Actually, physically, I’m quite fine. But I had the problem with my wrist that I cannot solve,” he said. “The doctor say was not good to play with that type of injury. Yesterday was actually very risky, and then today definitely say I should stop.”

Monfils reached the semifinals at the French Open in 2008 and made it to the quarterfinals on three other occasions.

Mikael Ymer fined about $40K after default for hitting umpire stand with racket

Associated PressMay 31, 2023, 3:55 PM EDT

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

PARIS — Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer was docked about $40,000 after being disqualified for smashing his racket against the umpire’s chair at a tournament the week before he competed at the French Open.

An ATP Tour spokesman said Ymer forfeited about $10,500 in prize money and 20 rankings he earned for reaching the second round of the Lyon Open. Ymer also was handed an on-site fine of about $29,000.

The spokesman said the ATP Fines Committee will conduct a review of what happened to determine whether any additional penalties are warranted.

The 56th-ranked Ymer, who is 24 and owns a victory over current No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, was defaulted in Lyon for an outburst late in the first set against French teenager Arthur Fils last week.

Ymer was upset that the chair umpire would not check a ball mark after a shot by Fils landed near a line. As the players went to the sideline for the ensuing changeover, Ymer smacked the base of the umpire’s stand with his racket twice – destroying his equipment and damaging the chair.

That led to Ymer’s disqualification, making Fils the winner of the match.

After his 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 loss to 17th-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the first round at Roland Garros, Ymer was asked whether he wanted to explain why he reacted the way he did in Lyon.

“With all due respect, I think it’s pretty clear from the video what caused it and why I reacted the way I reacted. Not justifying it at all, of course,” Ymer replied. “But for me to sit here and to explain? I think it’s pretty clear what led me to that place. I think that’s pretty clear in the video.”