9 h. ago Tennis stars unable to shower and nowhere to sleep: Blackouts cause havoc at Madrid Open

The Madrid Open was plunged into chaos on Monday afternoon as a widespread power outage across Spain and Portugal left players without access to basic human necessities

Politics

13 h. ago Spain power cut: Tennis star stuck in lift as outage wreaks havoc at Madrid Open

The Madrid Open was badly affected by a huge power outage and doubles world No. 62 Fernando Romboli was left stuck in a lift for around half and hour as a result

Politics

14 h. ago Madrid Open to resume play after huge power outage across Spain and Portugal

Play was halted on Monday as a huge power outage rocked Spain and Portugal

Politics

28 h. ago Andreeva and Gauff advance before Spain power outage halts play

Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff to face-off in quarter-finalGrigor Dimitrov and Jacob Fearnley paused at 6-4, 5-4Mirra Andreeva has spent the past two years of her life outperforming most teenagers that have ever picked up a tennis racket in the 21st century, yet on a chaotic, surreal Monday inside Caja Mágica, she briefly returned to her roots. During the final change of ends of her fourth-round match against the Ukrainian qualifier Yulia Starodubtseva, as she served for a comfortable victory, she learned of the power outage that had ravaged Spain, Portugal and many nearby countries, ultimately forcing play to be postponed in Madrid.As matches across the tournament grounds had already come to a halt, the two players were told that they could play out the subsequent game, but there was a catch: the live electronic line‑calling system was no longer functioning and there were no line umpires to call upon. They would have to play as if they were back on the junior circuit, calling their ...

Politics

30 h. ago ‘People were stunned’: Spaniards caught unawares by power outage

With mobile networks down and much of Spain’s transport system paralysed, people were left to navigate the chaos as best they couldSpain and Portugal power outage: live updatesIt was the moment the lights went out. In a post-match interview, after her straight sets win to reach the last eight of the Madrid Open, American tennis star Coco Gauff was joking about her avocado toast breakfast and bad night’s sleep, when suddenly the microphone cut. She looked surprised, while behind her the LED ad boards turned black.It was just after midday and all across the Iberian peninsula the power was failing, plunging Spain and Portugal into chaos. Buses and trains stopped; cash machines went dark; people were left trapped in unlit metro carriages and lifts, with no certainty about when they would get out. Continue reading...

Events

30 h. ago ‘People were stunned’: how massive blackout unfolded across Spain and Portugal

With mobile networks down and much of Spain’s transport system paralysed, people were left to navigate the chaos as best they couldSpain and Portugal power outage: live updatesIt was the moment the lights went out. In a post-match interview, after her straight sets win to reach the last eight of the Madrid Open, American tennis star Coco Gauff was joking about her avocado toast breakfast and bad night’s sleep, when suddenly the microphone cut. She looked surprised, while behind her the LED ad boards turned black.It was just after midday and all across the Iberian peninsula the power was failing, plunging Spain and Portugal into chaos. Buses and trains stopped; cash machines went dark; people were left trapped in unlit metro carriages and lifts, with no certainty about when they would get out. Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes break cover together after she dumps partner

JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes have been spotted on a tennis trip just one day after the Dance Moms star dumped her partner Kath following her stint on Celebrity Big Brother

Politics

58 h. ago ‘New Rafael Nadal', 16, making waves in tennis and even has identical name to his hero

Rafael Nadal may be one of tennis' all-time legends, but there is a new starlet on the tennis scene who shares more than just a name with the 22-time Grand Slam champion

Politics

4 d. ago Djokovic says tennis will always outlive its star players and he can feel the changes taking place

Novak Djokovic says he can feel the changes taking place in tennis

Sport

6 d. ago ‘Where is the adult?’: how Leonardo Van Dijl filmed the story of a child tennis star’s abuse

Julie Keeps Quiet casts real-life tennis ace Tessa Van den Broeck as a teenage player facing peril ignored by adults. The director explains how telling the story well required a care the sport itself neglectsLeonardo Van Dijl smiles: “If you told me a year ago that I’d be speaking to the Guardian, I’d have asked: ‘What about?’” Last May, the 34-year-old from Belgium took his debut film Julie Keeps Quiet to Cannes. (Where, he says, everyone was much friendlier after a four-star review in the Guardian.) Ever since, he has been living out of a suitcase, grabbing five or six hours’ sleep. It’s not just media interviews and Q&As keeping him busy: “We are a small movie. I’m the in-house graphic designer. I do the social media ” He stops, looks down at my phone, recording. “But I don’t really want to talk about that. I’m grateful, and it’s not that interesting.”What Van Dijl really does want to talk about is the urgent issue his film raises about safe spaces for children. Julie Keeps Q...

Events

6 d. ago Andy Murray absence 'won't impact' Djokovic as tennis star sets sights on remarkable Madrid Open landmark

The two-time Wimbledon winner was a big rival of the Serbian during his playing days

Politics

7 d. ago Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner told where they stand vs Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer

Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem has compared young tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to all-time greats Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer

Politics

8 d. ago Anna Kournikova hardly looks different now aged 43 years after tennis star’s life in public eye

Anna Kournikova was a tennis sensation in the 1990s and early 2000s, but her time in the spotlight was relatively short-lived as she stepped away from the sport at just 21

Politics

1 week ago Demi Moore, 62, named as one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People after career resurgence and Oscar nod as she joins Serena Williams and Ed Sheeran on the star

The movie star, 62, has been named a 'titan' of 2025 alongside singer Ed Sheeran , tennis star Serena Williams.

Politics

1 week ago British tennis star Harriet Dart asks umpire 'can you tell her to wear deodorant' in live TV outburst

Harriet Dart was humbled in the first round at the Open de Rouen on Wednesday, but it wasn't just her tennis that had the British star fuming during the contest

Politics

1 week ago French tennis star who was told she 'needs deodorant' and 'smells really bad' by Brit rival Harriet Dart offers hilarious response

Dart was facing French player Lois Boisson at the Open de Rouen and lost the first set. As the second set got underway, she then put in an unusual request to the chair umpire.

Politics

1 week ago Tennis star sees funny side after Harriet Dart asks the umpire to tell rival to 'wear deodorant'

Harriet Dart was thrashed 6-0 6-3 by Lois Boisson in the first round of the Open de Rouen - but it was the French star's body odour that clearly irked her British opponent

Politics

2 w. ago British tennis star urges umpire to tell rival to put deodorant on: "She smells really bad"

British number four Harriet Dart complained about opponent Lois Boisson's hygiene during a defeat to the French star in the opening round of the Rouen Open on Tuesday

Politics

2 w. ago Tennis fans blast 'disrespectful' British star Harriet Dart after she asked umpire to tell her opponent to put DEODORANT on in mid

Dart was 6-0 down in the first set and part of the way through the second when Dart was taking a moment at the change of ends, before making her way to the umpire's chair to make the request.

Politics

2 w. ago Caroline Wozniacki's photo that 'upset' Rory McIlroy: As she takes a dig at him after Masters win, is this where it all went wrong?

Rory McIlroy's triumph at the Masters delighted many names across the sporting world, but his ex Caroline Wozniacki might not have been among them.

Culture