Gigi Salmon column: Billie Jean King Cup success, Emma Raducanu impresses on clay, and Rafael Nadal nears return | Tennis News

Nearly as laborious as placing collectively flat-pack furnishings is breaking it up once more, one thing I set myself the duty of doing on Saturday afternoon when there was a uncommon second of peace and quiet in the home.

However as a substitute of simply specializing in the job in hand, I made a decision to place the Monte-Carlo Masters on the TV, which was on the semi-final stage on Sky Sports activities Tennis, with the Billie Jean King Cup qualifier between Nice Britain and France on my telephone – after which get to dismantling two toddler beds.

The BJKC qualifier, which was being performed on the clay in northern France, was at an important stage: 1-1 after the primary day however then 2-1 to GB after British No 1 Katie Boulter beat Clara Burel (in for the injured French No 1 Caroline Garcia) in straights units on day two.

Victory for Emma Raducanu over Diane Parry and Nice Britain can be headed to the finals in Seville in November. For the second day working, Raducanu confirmed, grit, dedication and resilience to come back from a set down and win 7-6 within the third set in slightly below three hours.

Neither Boulter nor Raducanu can level to nice expertise on clay, a floor chosen by France as the house facet to present them a bonus, so successful away towards a French facet with three top-50 gamers of their squad is a few achievement for Anne Keothavong and Crew GB.

The captain put it completely: ‘we got here, we carried out and we’re all leaving with an enormous smile.’

I am blissful to say that Anne will likely be becoming a member of me for the Madrid Masters reside on Sky Sports activities Tennis from April 23 and I am certain she is going to nonetheless be smiling!

It is going to be actually fascinating to see how issues play out on the clay for the Brits.

I used to be listening to an interview with Boulter that she did with WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen, speaking in regards to the health work she has been doing with coach Matt Little and the distinction she feels it has made and in addition her ideas on the clay, a floor she has purposely stayed away from prior to now.

She revealed that throughout the Covid lockdown she determined to play on the clay to study extra about it, which helped mentally, and that now she’s trying to come out swinging!

So for sure throughout the ultimate set of that BJKC tie I bought little or no mattress dismantling performed, however was too far alongside to cease, so it was simply as properly I had the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals to maintain me going.

With Stefanos Tsitsipas inflicting solely Jannik Sinner’s second defeat of the yr to achieve the ultimate, it was the flip of Casper Ruud – who loves the clay, with 9 of his 10 titles approaching the filth – to face world No 1 Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic, who now has good good friend Nenad Zimonjic in his teaching nook, was again within the ultimate 4 within the principality for the primary time since 2015 when he received the title.

Djokovic, in simply his fourth event of the yr, was not at his finest and Ruud would get the most important win of his profession to achieve the ultimate, the place Tsitsipas would ease to a 6-1 6-4 victory for his first title in over a yr and his third in 4 years in Monte Carlo.

It additionally implies that we go from having no one-handed backhanders within the prime 10 a couple of weeks in the past when Tsitsipas dropped out to having two with the Greek participant becoming a member of Grigor Dimitrov.

Monte Carlo featured some nice tennis, some questionable climate and a renewed dialogue as as to whether HawkEye needs to be used on clay – know-how out there however not used at most clay-court occasions.

We additionally had a handful of F1 drivers and Zendaya who was final seen watching the motion in Indian Wells as she promotes her new movie Challengers.

Unhappy and worrying information throughout the week was Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal from the five hundred occasion in Barcelona, the place he’s the two-time defending champion, with a proper forearm harm.

Whereas the information was sinking in that there can be no Alcaraz, it emerged that that 12 time champion Rafa Nadal was practising on ‘Pista Rafa Nadal,’ in Barcelona, the centre courtroom that was renamed after him again in 2017.

Nadal mentioned that his physique ‘wasn’t prepared’ to play in Monte Carlo, so the hope is that with Roland Garros quick approaching he decides to play and his physique withstands the take a look at, remembering that he hasn’t performed since Brisbane in January.

British curiosity this week sees Cam Norrie, who has a bye to the second spherical, and Dan Evans alongside Nadal in Barcelona.

Jack Draper takes his place within the ATP 250 attract Munich and Raducanu has obtained a wild card into the primary draw for the WTA 500 occasion in Stuttgart the place she has been drawn to face fellow wild card and two-time champion of the occasion in Angelique Kerber.

As for the beds they’re now dismantled. It took lots longer than I believed, which is all the time the best way, and the second of happiness as I sat surrounded by planks of wooden was quickly gone on the considered the 2 new beds that are larger and extra advanced that may have to be assembled.

Hopefully I can get them performed earlier than I head again to the studio for the beginning of the Madrid 1000 occasion.

Methods to watch Sky Sports activities Tennis

Sky Sports activities will broadcast extra reside tennis than wherever else in 2024, together with on its devoted tennis channel, bringing over 4,000 matches from greater than 80 tournaments a yr on the ATP and WTA Excursions, plus full protection of the US Open, solely reside.

Ad content | Stream Sky Sports on NOW

Stream Sky Sports activities reside with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instantaneous entry to reside motion from the Premier League and EFL, plus darts, cricket, tennis, golf and a lot extra.

Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp

Now you can obtain messages and alerts for the most recent breaking sports activities information, evaluation, in-depth options and movies from our devoted WhatsApp channel. Find out more here…