Entertainment
I’m exactly where I need to be’: In wake of painful loss, Townsend feels energized
She was so painfully close.
In one of the most memorable weeks of her career, Taylor Townsend

was on the brink of reaching her first career Grand Slam singles quarterfinal.
How close was she? After pummeling Barbora Krejcikova

6-1 in the first set of their fourth-round match in Louis Armstrong Stadium, the American had eight match points in the second set — seven of which came in one of the most thrilling, edge-of-your-seat tiebreaks in recent memory.
Over the course of over 25 minutes, with the 14,000-strong crowd in Armstrong rallying fiercely behind Townsend — and watching the incredibly tense rallies with bated breath — the two-time Grand Slam champion saved seven match points before closing it out 15-13.
She then took the next set 6-3 to move into the quarters in New York for the second time in her career.
Townsend burst into tears after the excruciatingly painful defeat, but after the match — after she’d had a bit of time to process it — she seemed grateful, motivated and ready to build on her momentum.
“I’m exactly where I need to be,” the 29-year-old told reporters. “I said it in D.C. — I was kind of inching there — but I’m exactly where I need to be. I’m playing the tennis I need to play to be inside the top 20, top 10, to win a Grand Slam. She’s a two-time Grand Slam champion. I have beaten a Grand Slam champion this tournament.
“So I have everything that I need, and it’s just about getting the reps, keep putting myself in these types of positions. This hurts, but it’s part of competition, it’s part of sports. But I’m right where I need to be.”
The Grand Slam champion that Townsend is referring to is Jelena Ostapenko

, who she upset in the second round. There was a heated exchange at the net after the match, and Townsend handled herself with grace and confidence, earning the support of fellow players and fans. She followed that up with an even bigger upset, a straight sets win over fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva

, and tore the house down with a cool-as-can-be post-match interview in Arthur Ashe Stadium that cemented her as the darling of the tournament.
In Armstrong on Sunday, it was one of the most electric environments we’ve seen all tournament, and you could feel that something special was brewing. It wasn’t meant to be for Townsend, but she knows she’s not done.
“It just stings, because I literally gave everything,” the doubles World No. 1 said. “She came up with some really, really great tennis in moments where she was down, and I thought I had it. But it’s a part of sports. For me, I’m like, ‘Damn, when is the next time I’m going to play a singles match?’ I’m ready to go back again.
“I’m not done here. I have doubles tomorrow. I’m going to do everything that I can to hoist the trophy here. With that, I know I can do it, me and my partner have done it before. This is just motivating me to keep doing the things that I know I can do to be a champion. … I’m going to use what happened today to just fuel me.”
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Entertainment
Emma Raducanu’s ex-coach joins another player’s team months after quitting role
Emma Raducanu linked up with Yutaka Nakamura at the end of last year, but their partnership soon fizzled out.
Emma Raducanu’s former fitness trainer, Yutaka Nakamura, has officially started working with another player, this time on the men’s circuit. Raducanu announced that Nakamura had joined her team last December, and he was set to travel with her during “most weeks” of the season.
However, Nakamura has been absent from her box for most of the year, reportedly stepping back for personal reasons in the spring. Raducanu has since been working with other physios, including Daniel Pohl and Jerome Poupel. And Nakamura has now seemingly joined Grigor Dimitrov’s team, months after the Bulgarian’s heartbreaking injury retirement at Wimbledon.
Dimitrov led top seed and eventual champion Jannik Sinner by two sets to love in the fourth round of Wimbledon this summer when he suddenly went down in tears, picking up a pectoral injury.
The former world No. 3 received off-court treatment, but he was unable to continue and returned to the court to retire from the match. Dimitrov has since revealed that he spent two hours crying in the locker room, and he later shared a photo from the hospital.
During his injury layoff, Dimitrov’s team had a shake-up, and he parted ways with his coach, Jamie Delgado, who has since joined Jack Draper’s camp. The 34-year-old has now returned to competition at the Paris Masters with some new faces in his box.
One of them is Nakamura, who has a wealth of experience on the WTA Tour, also working with Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka, as well as Raducanu.
Entertainment
Novak Djokovic’s wife’s telling response to retirement as he drops Paris Masters hint
Novak Djokovic’s tennis future is rife with speculation but the superstar is seemingly no closer to calling time on his legendary career.
Novak Djokovic’s wife Jelena told her husband he wouldn’t be able to resist the lure of tennis after he sensationally threatened to quit the game – an urge she continues to be proved right about. Djokovic ultimately soldiered on to become a true sporting icon and has recently dropped a hint that he could play well into his 40s.
The former world No. 1 has won a men’s record 24 Grand Slam singles titles and is widely viewed as one of the sport’s greatest ever players. Djokovic has, however, failed to win a Grand Slam since the 2023 US Open. The Serb has reached the semi-finals of all four major tournaments this year but turns 39 next year and has been plagued by injuries throughout 2025, sparking fresh suggestions that he could retire. Djokovic actually came close to calling time on his legendary tennis journey seven years ago before making a stunning resurgence. At that time, Djokovic had only secured half of his major championships haul, with a combination of recurring injuries and growing frustrations seeing him briefly turn his back on the game.
Jelena recounted the emotional chapter in a 2020 conversation, saying: “He wanted to quit. He gathered all the members of his team and told them, ‘You know what, I’m done, I’m quitting.’ We cried and told him that he couldn’t do it, that it wasn’t the right time.
“He didn’t want to play tennis, and he didn’t even want to see a ball pass in front of him.” Djokovic even alerted his sponsors that he was retiring, only for Jelena to remind him just how much tennis means to him, spurring on his U-turn.
The persuasive powers of Jelena and their children, Stefan and Tara, reignited his desire to return. “He didn’t want to know anything about it,” Jelena said. “But I love tennis and I take the kids to the court every day. On the third day, Novak arrived.
“He saw we were having fun, and it wasn’t the intense training he was accustomed to for years. Novak asked me if he could play and get a racket, but I refused.
“I started teasing him, saying he had quit and now it was our turn to play tennis. Eventually, he served and felt good, then returned daily until he finally called his coach Marian Vajda to start training again.”
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