Rafael Nadal reaches the last 16 of the Madrid Open after a hard-fought victory over Argentina’s Pedro Cachin.
Source: BBC Sport

Amy Broadhurst is selected by GB Boxing for an Olympic qualifying event in Thailand next month.
Source: BBC Sport

Mark Chapman and guests debate the weekend’s football.
Source: BBC Sport

Daniil Medvedev left an umpire speechless with a bizarre response during his Madrid Open win over Sebastian Korda.

The world no.4 was left frustrated when the roof of the Arantxa Sanchez Stadium was not closed after it started raining at the beginning of the second set, having just lost the first 7-5.

Medvedev has gained a reputation for fiery encounters with match officials[/caption]

When switching sides with his opponent after the first game of the new set, Medvedev took issue with the umpire being sheltered from the elements, whilst he and his opponent were not.

The 2021 US Open champion offered a suggestion to the match official, saying: “You are fine with umbrella. We’re aren’t with the rain. Maybe close the roof, no?”

Despite match official Nacho Forcadell explaining that the decision was out of his hands, the Russian continued to argue his case.

He demanded: “Okay, so call someone, whose decision is it? You said it’s not your decision, call me someone whose decision it is.”

The umpire then informed Medvedev: “They take the decision based on the weather.”

But the 28-year-old was clearly unsatisfied with this explanation, and snapped back with a sarcastic suggestion as to who ‘they’ may be.

He asked: “Who [are] they? Illuminati? Illuminati?”

The desperate official was eventually able to ease the tension, telling Medvedev: “No one knows what’s going to happen, it’s an outdoor event,” who then returned to the baseline to resume playing.

X @TheTennisLetter

X @TheTennisLetter

This is not the former world no.1’s first on-court outburst, who has developed a reputation as one of the sport’s most outspoken players.

He made the headlines at the 2022 Australian Open when he called an umpire a ‘small cat’ during a furious rant over the officiating during his semi-final clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas.

More recently, Medvedev branded tennis a ‘s*** sport’ during his Indian Wells final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.

Fortunately for the Grand Slam champion, his dispute with the umpire did not appear to affect his performance this time, as he went on to stage an impressive comeback over Korda.

After winning the second set on a tie-break to level things up, Medvedev then convincingly secured the decider 6-3 to advance through against his world no. 26-ranked opponent.

The controversial star will now face 17th seed Alexander Bublik in the last 16, who recorded an impressive victory over promising young talent Ben Shelton, defeating the American 3-6 7-6(7) 6-4.

Medvedev will look to get his clay court campaign on track in Madrid ahead of the upcoming French Open, having previously exited the Monte Carlo Masters in the last 16 on his return to the surface.

With all-time great Rafael Nadal and reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz also competing at the Roland Garros curtain-raiser, the Russian certainly faces a battle to boost his credentials in time for the second Grand Slam of the year.

Source: TalkSport.com Tennis

The clay-court season is in full swing with one of its most iconic tournaments, the Madrid Open, continuing on Tuesday.

The men’s competition has reached the last 16, with Carlos Alcaraz and Alex Zverev among those involved, while the first women’s quarter-final is also on the schedule.

Madrid Open Tennis Tips

• Three sets in Hubert Hurkacz v Taylor Fritz @ 11/10
• Three sets in Jan-Lennard Struff v Carlos Alcaraz @ 9/5
• Iga Swiatek to win 2-0 v Beatriz Haddad Maia @ 1/3

Treble pays 13/2

Get £40 in free bets with talkSPORT BET

Hurkacz and Fritz could play out a classic

A classic could be on the cards when Hubert Hurkacz takes on Taylor Fritz in the last-16 of the Madrid Open.

Hurkacz is seeded eighth with Fritz seeded 12th and both have enjoyed strong tournaments so far.

Hurkacz won his matches against Jack Draper and Daniel Altmaier in straight sets, while Fritz has also reeled off successive 2-0 victories in matches with Luciano Darderi and Sebastian Baez.

The American has won two of the three meetings between the players, but their previous contests have all been close and this match could go the distance.

Three of Hurkacz’s last five matches have featured tiebreaks and this could be another tight one with three sets in the match the best bet.

Alcaraz could be pushed close by Struff

Carlos Alcaraz remains the man to watch at the Madrid Open, as the Spanish youngster targets a third successive title in his home nation’s capital.

But Alcaraz has not had any prior practice on European clay courts this season and could be challenged by German Jan Lennard-Struff.

Struff is fresh from winning the Bavarian International and he has won both of his matches in Madrid in straight sets, against Jaume Munar and Ugo Humbert.

Beating Alcaraz may be a stretch too far, but Struff could certainly take the Spaniard to three sets.

Struff showed he is not fazed by big names when chalking up wins over Fritz, Holger Rune and Felix Auger-Aliassime en route to his Bavarian International triumph and he can impress in Madrid.

Swiatek can ease to victory

Iga Swiatek’s quarter-final tussle with Beatriz Haddad Maia, meanwhile, could be more one-sided.

Swiatek, top seed in the women’s draw, has barely broken a sweat at this year’s Madrid Open.

She has won all three of her matches in straight sets, prevailing by an aggregate score of 36-8 across those encounters.

The Pole has taken her time to get going on the WTA tour this year, but was a semi-finalist at the recent Stuttgart Open and is often a class act on the slower surface.

Swiatek leads her head-to-head against Haddad Maia 2-1 and can show her class on clay against the Brazilian with a 2-0 triumph.

Get £40 in free bets with talkSPORT BET

Odds correct at time of writing

Terms and conditions: 18+ New customers only. Opt in via mobile, bet £20+ at odds 2.00+, in 7 days. No cash out. Get 4x £10 Free Bets on selected markets. 7 day bonuses expiry. Click for T&Cs. BeGambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• GamCare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org

Source: TalkSport.com Tennis

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel talks about Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham’s ‘extraordinary development’ ahead of their Champions League semi-final.
Source: BBC Sport

Premier League clubs vote in favour of developing plans to introduce a spending cap in England’s top flight.
Source: BBC Sport

Seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan moves into the quarter-finals of the World Championship with a comfortable win over Ryan Day.
Source: BBC Sport

Lando Norris is winning his battle to be fit for the Miami Grand Prix this weekend following a horror facial injury.

The McLaren driver was spotted with his face heavily bandaged on board a boat in Amsterdam a week before the next Formula 1 race.

AFP

The Brit star had been enjoying some downtime between the fifth and sixth rounds of the F1 season in the Dutch capital.

Norris seemingly revelled in the country’s Koningsdag (King’s Day) celebrations on Saturday when he was filmed partying on a boat.

However, images quickly circulated on social media of the 24-year-old with a bloodied and bandaged face.

Is Lando Norris fit for the Miami GP?

Norris is not expected to miss the Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome.

PlanetF1 have reported that Norris is ‘completely fine’ after the incident as the injury looked far more dramatic than it was.

Norris was said to have picked up a cut on his nose caused by broken glass during the boat party.

Images released later showed the Bristol-born racer without the bloodied bandages and instead left with only a slight scratch.

Norris’ fitness comes a huge boost to McLaren following an impressive start to the F1 2024 season.

The teams’ top driver sits fifth in the Drivers’ Standings having claimed two podium finishes in the first five races.

While his next immediate target will be to finally win a race of his own, Norris also has one eye on challenging Max Verstappen for the Drivers’ Championship title.

He told the Guardian: “I believe I can achieve a championship at McLaren, that’s why I signed another contract. I absolutely think I can go up against Max and give him a good challenge. But I also rate Max, so for anyone it’s extremely difficult to go up against Max in his team and challenge him for a world championship.

“He could have moved to Mercedes back in the day and gone up against Lewis [Hamilton] but would it have been a smart idea to have done that? Probably not and he probably wouldn’t be in a Red Bull now and it would be a different story.”

He later added: “I am not afraid in any way of Max, I’m excited to be against Max. People rate him as up with the best, so I would like to prove myself by going up against that.

“I look forward to being able to battle him, but genuinely for position and not have him half a second a lap quicker and just drive past me.”

Source: TalkSport.com Motorsport

We look at the winners and losers from the 2024 NFL Draft as the Chicago Bears shine while the Atlanta Falcons spring a huge shock.
Source: BBC Sport