4 h. ago French Open 2025: Sabalenka, Paolini and Paul open up on day one – live

Coverage of the first round which starts at 10am BSTAlcaraz wary of ‘dangerous’ Sinner | Email DanielLooking around the courts, Svitolina leads Sonmez 3-0; Nakashima leads Navone 2-0; Paul and Moller are 1-1; Jvitova leads Golubic 2-1 on serve; and Lys leads Stearns 1-0 on serve.And though she’s capable of it, the others will sense opportunity. Coco Gauff, seeded two, has to play really well to win, whereas Sabalenka can do so when not quite at it. Continue reading...

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7 h. ago French Open 2025: Rafael Nadal gets a farewell ceremony at a tournament he won a record 14 times

Rafael Nadal is scheduled to be celebrated in the main stadium of the French Open on Day 1 of the tournament

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9 h. ago How to watch French Open 2025: UK TV channel and live stream for Roland Garros coverage

The year’s second tennis Grand Slam gets underway on Sunday in Paris

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31 h. ago Alcaraz fears ‘dangerous’ Sinner as rivals prepare for French Open duel

Duo could meet in grand slam final for first timeIga Swiatek out to continue dominance of women’s eventA little over an hour after reinforcing his supremacy on red clay with his first title at the Italian Open, Carlos Alcaraz ended his time in Rome with an ominous, pointed parting shot from the bowels of the Campo Centrale. “He’s going to be dangerous,” said Alcaraz. “He’s going to be a really dangerous player in Paris.”Alcaraz was speaking, of course, about his greatest rival, Jannik Sinner, whom he had just defeated in two fascinating sets in the final. Over the next fortnight in Paris, one of the pressing questions surrounding the tournament will be whether Alcaraz and Sinner, the top two seeds, can consolidate those performances by meeting in a grand slam final for the first time. Continue reading...

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45 h. ago French Open 2025: Jannik Sinner returns to Grand Slam tennis after his doping ban

Jannik Sinner knows he will be facing a new set of challenges at the French Open

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49 h. ago French Open 2025: Jack Draper 'refreshed' after going home to London before Roland Garros

French Open 2025: Jack Draper 'refreshed' after going home to London before Roland Garros  BBC

Events

51 h. ago Rafael Nadal's absence from the 2025 French Open changes the tournament

The French Open is entering a new era this year now that Rafael Nadal has retired

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53 h. ago French Open 2025 guide: How to watch on TV, betting odds and more to know about Roland

Play in the year’s second Grand Slam tennis tournament is scheduled to begin at the French Open on the red clay courts of Roland-Garros on Sunday

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2 d. ago French Open 2025: The certainty Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek brought to Paris is missing now

There will be an unfamiliar uncertainty at the French Open when the year's second Grand Slam tournament begins in Paris on Sunday

Events

3 d. ago ‘I struggled with the lifestyle’: former teen prodigy Amanda Anisimova on her career

As she returns to the French Open, where she broke through in a run to the 2019 semis, the American explains why she stepped away from the sportProfessional tennis players are often led to believe that taking time off is fatal. In such an intense, competitive individual sport where greatness is determined though fine margins, the pressure to keep on moving is eternal. If you are not constantly training, competing and working on your craft, it is said, someone will always be there to take your place. Once you lose your spot, you may never get it back.During the most difficult period of her career, Amanda Anisimova, a former teen prodigy, had to reckon with that myth. In the depths of her depression, when the intensity of the tennis circuit had become unbearable and her mind was screaming out for change, the 23-year-old opted for the solution of a complete break from the sport two years ago. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Casper Ruud: ‘It was a smart move by me to open up and get help’

Two-time French Open finalist on how seeking support after burnout has helped him move forward with his careerOne of Casper Ruud’s attributes, beyond his sincerity, his healthy outlook and his devastating topspin forehand, is his ability to clap back. Ruud, like others, spends ample time lurking on social media for news, where thousands express an opinion about how he plays or what he says. He is not above a sarcastic response. “Sometimes I have to keep myself from answering someone or commenting on something,” he says, laughing.Across numerous conversations during the clay-court season, his favourite part of the year, Ruud’s social media presence comes up repeatedly. Last year, for example, the 26-year-old Norwegian found himself in a lengthy debate with a random X user on the merits of mental coaches. Considering how composed and rational he often appears, it prompted the question of exactly when he was not so cool-headed and needed the services of a psychologist. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago French Open to pay tribute to clay king Rafael Nadal after end of an era

Nadal won 112 of his 116 matches at Roland Garros before calling time on his career last year.

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3 d. ago Emma Raducanu suffers injury scare before French Open in defeat by Collins

British No 2 went out 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 after long medical breakTight finale in Strasbourg suggests issue not too seriousEmma Raducanu suffered an injury scare before the French Open as she went out of the Strasbourg Open.The 22-year-old left the court during the second set of her second-round clash with American Danielle Collins for treatment on a back problem, though appeared to recover. Having won the first set, Raducanu was 5-0 down when she called a medical timeout before returning to the court 10 minutes later. Although she was able to finish the match, she went down to a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 defeat to Collins.This report will update Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Drop by drop: Carlos Alcaraz leads shift back to the most deft shot in tennis

Roger Federer saw it as a ‘panic shot’ but the drop shot is back in vogue thanks to a greater understanding of its effectivenessA little more than two years ago, Daniil Medvedev was working his way through the early rounds of the Miami Open when he noticed a distinct shift in his opponents’ tactics. A few days earlier, he had been convincingly beaten in the Indian Wells final by Carlos Alcaraz, who dismantled him with a relentless stream of drop shots. Suddenly, everyone was hitting drop shots against him.“A lot of guys maybe saw the final, so they started to do only drop shots against me,” says Medvedev, smiling widely. “It’s not the same. It’s like: ‘OK, continue doing it. I’m there.’ Against [Alcaraz], I’m not there.” Continue reading...

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1 week ago New Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy unveiled to mark 100 days to go until tournament

England will host a record-breaking tournament later this year with the Red Roses favourites to lift the new prize on home soil

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1 week ago Viral Olympics star announces return to her sport after being thrown out of the athletes' village in Paris for 'inappropriate conduct'

Luana Alonso saw her glamorous posts gain massive popularity during the tournament as she shared snaps from the French capital and posed with fellow Olympians such as Rafael Nadal.

Sport

1 week ago A worshipper is murdered in a French mosque. How can this be ‘just another crime’? | Rokhaya Diallo

Islamophobia is rampant in France. Official denial, even of the word itself, is driving the hatredFriday is a holy day for practising Muslims – a time to observe the faith more deeply and, where possible, attend prayers at the mosque. That’s exactly what Aboubakar Cissé did early on Friday 25 April.In the southern French village of La Grand-Combe, Cissé, a 22-year-old carpenter originally from Mali, volunteered at his local mosque and was a familiar face among worshippers. So when he offered guidance through the prayers and rituals that Friday to a newcomer, a young man he did not know , it was an entirely natural gesture. The stranger, however, had come to prayers with very different intentions.Rokhaya Diallo is a Guardian Europe columnist Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago The Marching Band review – tender French concert bromance gets out the trombones

Two strong leads in Pierre Lottin and Benjamin Lavernhe make this heart-on-sleeve but unsentimental class drama a triumph in a minor key French film-maker Emmanuel Courcol serves up a good-natured heartwarmer with some syrup, but also two watchable and robust lead performances. For British audiences, The Marching Band might call to mind Brassed Off, The Full Monty or Billy Elliot, movies from the heartland which dared to dream that showbusiness or cultural community adventures can somehow survive the wreckage of industrial capitalism.Benjamin Lavernhe plays Thibaut, a distinguished and sensitive orchestra conductor who collapses mid-rehearsal in Paris and is told he has leukaemia and needs a bone marrow transplant donor. Thibaut is adopted and this means tracking down his biological brother out in the boondocks: factory worker Jimmy, played by the formidable Pierre Lottin (recently seen in François Ozon’s When Autumn Falls), whose gift for deadpan comedy really only gets free rein a...

Culture

2 w. ago Johann Zarco earns first home triumph at French MotoGP in over 70 years

French rider triumphs in chaotic race at Le MansZarco is first home winner of French GP since 1954Johann Zarco became the first home rider in 71 years to win the French Grand Prix, delighting a sellout crowd of more than 120,000 fans at Le Mans.The LCR Honda rider’s decision to start with wet tyres paid off handsomely on Sunday as Zarco triumphed in a chaotic, rain-hit race. He won by a huge margin of nearly 20 seconds ahead of Ducati’s Marc Márquez, while Gresini Racing’s Fermin Aldeguer came third for his first MotoGP podium. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago What links butterfly, air, French and Glasgow? The Saturday quiz

From Barbarian invasions and lead poisoning to Saturday Night Fever and the shipping forecast, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz1 What did Thomas Austin notoriously introduce to Australia in 1859?2 Which social media site’s founder is married to Serena Williams?3 What shipping forecast area is named after a UK city?4 What is the chemical formula for diamond?5 Which literary character loved “life; London; this moment of June”?6 Where did Eoka fight against British rule?7 What contains 42 vowels and 56 consonants?8 Which monarch commissioned and was depicted in the Wilton Diptych?What links: 9 Do the Right Thing; Goodfellas; Moonstruck; Radio Days; Saturday Night Fever?10 Lena; Mackenzie; Ob; Yenisey; Yukon?11 Encyclopedia Britannica (2010); New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2001); Oxford English Dictionary (1989)?12 Air; butterfly; chef’s; French, Glasgow?13 Barbarian invasions; Christianity; homosexuality; lead poisoning; plague?14 Sarazen; Hogan; Player; Nicklau...

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