Tennis LIVE: Novak Djokovic throws up, star retires minutes into match

Tennis LIVE: Novak Djokovic throws up on court as star retires 10 minutes into match

Express Sport brings you the latest news, updates and goings-on from the tennis world as live action continues at the Shanghai Masters this weekend

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The tennis continues at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday, with the third round officially underway. Novak Djokovic is through to the round of 16, and Jannik Sinner is currently in action. But it wasn't to be for one star, as Belgian tennis ace David Goffin was forced to retire just 10 minutes into his match against Gabriel Diallo.

Over in Beijing, Amanda Anisimova beat Linda Noskova in the China Open final. No. 4 seed Anisimova picked up a maiden WTA 1000 crown earlier this year in Doha and has now added a second.

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Main draw action in Wuhan, another WTA 1000 event, gets underway on Monday, and Emma Raducanu has a brutal draw, with some tough opponents lying in wait should she beat Ann Li in the first round. The Brit has been reflecting on some of her matches this season and, surprisingly, admitted that her favourite was one that she lost.

Follow along below as Express Sport brings you live updates, scores and news from the tennis tours...

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33 mins ago16:16 Matthew Abbott

Djokovic slams 'brutal' Shanghai conditions

Novak Djokovic has called out the 'brutal' heat and humidity in Shanghai.

It's the same for every player out on the court, but it's brutal. It's brutal when you have over 80 per cent of humidity day after day, particularly for the guys when they're playing during the day with heat, with sun, it's even more brutal.

For me, biologically, it's a bit more challenging to deal with it. But I had to really weather the storm today. Yannick played an incredible match from the beginning.

1 hour ago15:45 Matthew Abbott

Sinner takes first set after tiebreaker

Jannick Sinner has won the first set against Tallon Griekspoor but needed a tiebreaker to beat the Dutchman 7-6(3).

2 hours ago15:15 Matthew Abbott

Djokovic equals Nadal record

After battling back from a set down to beat Yannick Hanfmann 4-6 7-5 6-3, Novak Djokovic has made the round of 16 at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the 112th time (H/T Sportskeeda). That equals the record amount of appearances at this stage set by Rafael Nadal.

2 hours ago14:21 Yasmin Syed

Djokovic survives to reach last 16

Novak Djokovic survived a huge scare to reach the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters. The world No. 4 dropped the opening set to German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann and then threw up midway through the second set, but he stormed back to win 4-6 7-5 6-3 in two hours and 42 minutes.

The four-time former champion in Shanghai will now face Spanish star Jaume Munar for a spot in the quarter-finals.

3 hours ago14:15 Yasmin Syed

Anisimova feeling grateful after China Open win

Amanda Anisimova has been crowned the China Open champion, and she shared her thanks to the fans in Beijing and to her team after beating Linda Noskova 6-0 2-6 6-2.

“Also, since the first day that I got here, I want to say thank you so much to the fans and all of the crowds that come to watch all the matches. I’m sure, not just me, but every single player has felt the love here. It’s incredible and you guys are amazing, I felt a lot of love these two weeks,” the No. 3 seed said.

“To my team over there, wow, what a two weeks it’s been. We’ve had a lot of challenges and despite that we also still have so much fun and we work very hard. It’s crazy that we made it this far and to get the win has been very special. Thank you for sharing that with me.”

3 hours ago14:02 Yasmin Syed

Anisimova is the China Open champion!

Amanda Anisimova's season just gets better and better, she's now the China Open champion!

The American survived a tough test against Linda Noskova, winning 6-0 2-6 6-2 in Sunday's final to pick up her fourth career title and second at WTA 1000 level.

Read the full match report here

3 hours ago13:33 Yasmin Syed

Djokovic fights back

Novak Djokovic has battled back to take a gruelling 62-minute second set 7-5 against Yannick Hanfmann.

The German qualifier won the first set 6-4, and Djokovic was visibly struggling in the humid conditions in the second set, throwing up during a changeover.

But he broke in the final game, and we're headed to a decider in Shanghai.

3 hours ago13:30 Yasmin Syed

Machac retires to send world No. 204 through

Tomas Machac, who was defending 400 ranking points for reaching the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters last year, has retired in the third round.

The No. 20 seed was trailing qualifier Valentin Vacherot 6-0 3-1 when he called it quits.

Ranked down at No. 204 in the world, this is Vacherot's first time reaching the fourth round of a Masters 1000 tournament.

4 hours ago13:18 Yasmin Syed

Noskova strikes back

Linda Noskova certainly responded after getting bagelled in the China Open final.

The world No. 27 has broken Amanda Anisimova twice to take the second set 6-2, forcing a decider.

Who will be crowned the champion in Beijing?

4 hours ago13:10 Yasmin Syed

Djokovic 'throws up' mid-match

Novak Djokovic is fighting to mount a comeback against qualifier Yannick Hanfmann in Shanghai.

The No. 4 seed lost the opening set 6-4 and took a 4-3 lead on serve in the second set before heading to his bench for the changeover.

Cameras panned away from the Serb, and commentator Nick Lester then revealed: "Djokovic, we've just been told, was throwing up at the change of ends."

In the next game, as Hanfmann served to level the score at 4-4, Robbie Koenig added: "If you weren't with us, just a moment ago, he was throwing up at the change of ends. These lengthy rallies will play right into Hanfmann's hands."

4 hours ago12:59 Yasmin Syed

Paolini addresses comeback victory

Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini stormed back to successfully defend their China Open doubles title on Sunday. The No. 2 seeds dropped the opening set to Miyu Kato and Fanny Stollar but won the second set and then raced through the match tiebreak to win 6-7(1) 6-3 [10-2].

And Paolini was delighted with their efforts in the first-to-10-point breaker, saying: “It was tough. We started with a lot of mistakes. We lost many important points. But we were repeating to ourselves to stay there, stay positive, to fight. In the end it worked.

“We found a little bit more of our tennis, less mistakes. We were more I think tactically, like, organised well. We played an amazing tiebreak. Was great to come back like this, but was really, really tough. The first set actually was really tough for us.”

4 hours ago12:41 Yasmin Syed

Anisimova racing through

Amanda Anisimova is a set away from being crowned the China Open champion.

The No. 3 seed needed just 23 minutes to take the first set 6-0 over Linda Noskova.

There have been some clear nerves for the 20-year-old Czech star, who is contesting the biggest final of her career, as she double faulted while facing set point.

4 hours ago12:30 Yasmin Syed

Djokovic at risk of crashing out

Novak Djokovic is in some real trouble now, he’s just lost the first set to Yannick Hanfmann in Shanghai.

German qualifier Hanfmann has been playing lights-out tennis. He hit four aces to lead 5-3, and he’s just held again to take the opener 6-4.

5 hours ago12:15 Yasmin Syed

Special delivery for Munar

Jaume Munar booked his spot in the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters with a gritty 6-4 5-7 6-1 win over Yoshihito Nishioka - but not before a member of his team threw him a spare pair of socks.

It's been a hot and humid day in Shanghai once again, and Munar needed a quick change, so his coach threw the socks in the air and the Spaniard caught them with his racket. Effective.

5 hours ago12:04 Yasmin Syed

China Open final getting underway

It's time for the main event! The China Open final between Amanda Anisimova and Linda Noskova is about to get underway.

The players are warming up on the court in Beijing, as Anisimova seeks her second WTA 1000 crowd, while Noskova hunts for the biggest title of her career.

5 hours ago11:54 Yasmin Syed

Djokovic in trouble early on

Novak Djokovic is in an early spot of bother at the Shanghai Masters.

The No. 4 seed has just been broken by qualifier Yannick Hanfmann in their third-round match.

Hanfmann took his third break point with an impressive lob and he leads 2-1 at the changeover.

5 hours ago11:41 Yasmin Syed

Sabalenka addresses online abuse

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is back in action at the Wuhan Open, where she lifted the trophy last year.

Ahead of her title defence, the recent US Open winner opened up on the abuse she received on social media.

"I feel like it’s better to ignore it, but sometimes, of course, I see those messages, and out of curiosity, I go to the page of the person who messaged me," Sabalenka said.

"Sometimes I’m shocked. Sometimes there’s like, mothers messaging such terrible things. Sometimes it just you can see the person is doing nothing and commenting on people who is trying to do something in life, who is trying to motivate, inspire next generation."

6 hours ago11:14 Yasmin Syed

Errani and Paolini win the China Open!

Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini are the China Open champions! After dropping a close first set, the No. 2 seeds took the second and then raced through the match tiebreak to win 6-7(1) 6-3 [10-2].

This is their ninth title together and their fourth of the year after winning the WTA 1000 events in Doha and Rome, and the French Open.

6 hours ago11:04 Yasmin Syed

Errani and Paolini strike back

No. 2 seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini are back in this China Open final.

The Italian pair lost the opening set to Miyu Kato and Fanny Stollar 7-6(1), but they just took the second set 6-3.

It'll be a first-to-10-point match tiebreak to crown our champions.

6 hours ago10:52 Yasmin Syed

Mpetshi Perricard 'thought he was dying on the court'

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard sealed the biggest win of his career at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday, taking out No. 5 seed Taylor Fritz 6-4 7-5.

It was a brutally humid day in Shanghai, and Fritz was visibly struggling with the conditions. The American doubled over to catch his breath in a gruelling game at 5-5 in the second set and ultimately got broken.

But Mpetshi Perricard was also feeling the heat, as he later said: "It was tough, to be honest. Tough conditions, very humid, a lot of humidity. So the game at 5-5, it was terrible. I thought I was dying on the court.

"I mean, I try to stay steady on the ball and to put one more ball, one more, one more, and try to win the point. I mean, it was tough consecutive points, so I'm very happy to stand now on my both feet."

6 hours ago10:35 Yasmin Syed

Upset brewing in Beijing

There's a big upset brewing in the women's doubles final at the China Open, as No. 2 seeds and Olympic champions Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini have lost the opening set to the unseeded duo of Miyu Kato and Fanny Stollar, who are playing together for the first time this week.

It went to a tiebreak, and Kato/Stollar raced through to take it 7-1.

7 hours ago10:13 Yasmin Syed

Players 'struggling to breathe' in Shanghai

We’ve heard a lot about the heavy, humid conditions in Shanghai this week. There have been worrying scenes of players having their vitals checked during matches, and the humidity paired with the slightly slower courts is also affecting play.

And French star Arthur Rinderknech, who faces world No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Monday, has now explained that the conditions are so brutal that he can barely breathe during matches.

“I confirm, it's difficult to breathe on the court. I don't know if we realise it on TV, but on the court, it's complicated from the warm-up. There's crazy humidity, worse than in the United States in summer,” he told L’Equipe.

“In addition, we know that there's a lot of pollution in the big cities in China and that must not help to breathe well. And there's this cloud cover that crushes everything. But when the sun comes out, it quickly rises above 30 degrees. All of that makes it difficult.”

7 hours ago09:43 Yasmin Syed

Raducanu opens up on brutal Pegula defeat

Emma Raducanu has blown multiple match points in her last two losses. She had three match points against Jessica Pegula in Beijing at the start of the week but lost 3-6 7-6(9) 6-0.

A few days earlier, Raducanu also missed three match point chances against Barbora Krejcikova at the Korea Open in Seoul.

Ahead of her Wuhan Open tournament debut, the British No. 1 explained: "Yeah, I think it was hard for me. The last two matches that I lost, I had match points in both.

"And it's not something that's really happened to me before and then to happen twice in a week was pretty new to get my head around.

"I think the second match I found it easier to get over than the first because I know I was playing some better tennis and just improving with my level. I feel like I didn't take too long to kind of dwell on it and just got straight back to work and trying to get ready as best as possible for this week."

Read the full story here

7 hours ago09:21 Yasmin Syed

Bergs battles on

Zizou Bergs sparked fears when he called the physio and had a medical time out right before serving for the match against Francisco Cerundolo on the Grandstand 2 court.

But the treatment seemed to do the trick, and the world No. 44 sealed a 7-6(1) 6-3 victory.

8 hours ago09:15 Yasmin Syed

Bergs calls physio at crucial moment

Zizou Bergs is about to serve for the match against Francisco Cerundolo at 5-3 in the second set in Shanghai.

But he's suddenly picked up a thigh injury and called the physio right before attempting to serve it out. The Belgian ace is having a full, three-minute medical timeout.

8 hours ago09:10 Yasmin Syed

Mpetshi Perricard reacts to biggest career win

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was delighted after getting his best-ever win over Taylor Fritz in Shanghai. The 6’7” French star previously had a 0-6 record against top-10 players.

After winning 6-4 7-5, he said: “[It feels] amazing, to be honest! My record wasn’t that good, it was, I think 6-0?

“The last couple of matches were tough for me, I think I lost really close against him in Wimbledon and I learned a lot of things to improve.

“I tried to do a few things better than Wimbledon and it worked today. It was a tough match physically and mentally but I did well, and I’m very happy about it.

“I’m working since day one, I’m really happy to see the improvement. Improved on the return, few shots after the serve, the volley, the touch. This match was a good one to show it! I will try to do better in the next one against Holger, and that’s it.”

8 hours ago09:01 Yasmin Syed

Fritz suffers huge upset

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has just caused a massive upset, taking out No. 5 seed Taylor Fritz 6-4 7-5.

It's the first top-10 win of Mpetshi Perricard's career, and he's through to the fourth round of a Masters 1000 event for the first time.

Fritz was clearly struggling in the hot and humid conditions. As the match went on, he started doubling over to catch his breath, and a double fault at 5-5 in the second set cost him.

8 hours ago08:56 Yasmin Syed

China Open final offers intriguing contest

Amanda Anisimova will take on Linda Noskova in the China Open final, kicking off at 12pm UK time.

Anisimova has been in the form of her life this year. She started the season ranked at No. 36 in the world and now sits at a career-high of No. 4 after winning the WTA 1000 event in Doha and reaching back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. This is her first tournament since the US Open, and she’s back in another final.

But aged just 20, Noskova is a dangerous opponent. She’s previously caused upsets against Iga Swiatek and Mirra Andreeva, and she saved three match points to stun Jessica Pegula in Saturday’s semi-final.

Their head-to-head is level at 1-1. Anisimova defeated Noskova in the fourth round of Wimbledon over the summer, and the world No. 27 beat Anisimova in Indian Wells last year.

8 hours ago08:34 Yasmin Syed

French tennis star 'doesn't get enough credit'

Learner Tien caused an upset in Shanghai on Saturday, taking out No. 33 seed Corentin Moutet.

Tien has been on a tear, finishing runner-up at the China Open in Beijing earlier this week, and he's carried that form straight into the Shanghai Masters.

After beating Moutet 4-6 6-4 6-4, the teenager claimed the Frenchman didn't get enough credit.

“He’s a great player. He’s really tricky. I feel he doesn’t get enough credit for how good of a tennis player he is,” Tien said.

“I mean, he’s crazy talented, makes it so hard for you to win some of these points. I knew it was going to be a tough match. He beat me in straight sets on grass.”

9 hours ago08:14 Yasmin Syed

Fritz in trouble

Taylor Fritz found himself in a tough spot in his opening match, dropping the first set to Fabian Marozsan before winning 2-6 7-6 7-6.

And he’s in trouble again in the second round. The No. 5 seed has just lost the opening set 6-4 to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The 6’7” Frenchman is known for his big serves, but he played an impressive return game to get the break, leaving Fritz looking frustrated.

9 hours ago08:01 Yasmin Syed

Sinner singles out Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Shanghai Masters citing physical issues after winning the Japan Open earlier this week. Alcaraz picked up an ankle injury in Tokyo, but played through it and went on to lift the title.

The world No. 1's absence is still being felt in Shanghai, as Jannik Sinner admitted it was a shame not to see Alcaraz on the court.

Sinner is headlining a blockbuster night session with Novak Djokovic on Sunday, and he said: "It's great. Obviously, you know, Novak coming back here to play, it's great for the fans.

"I'm very early in my career still, but I'm very happy to play after Novak. It's great for the fans, it's great to hopefully watch some good tennis in both matches.

"Yeah, it's very unfortunate that Carlos is not here also, you know. I feel like Carlos is the man who people want to see in tournaments, so it's very unfortunate he's not here. But, you know, it's still great to have Novak and me and many other players."

Read the full story here

9 hours ago07:44 Yasmin Syed

Khachanov and Rublev give walkover

Russian tennis stars Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev might be singles specialists, but they've also proved to be a formidable doubles pairing, winning a Masters 1000 title a couple of years ago.

Khachanov and Rublev enjoyed more success together at the China Open in Beijing, finishing as the runners-up in the doubles draw.

But they have now withdrawn from the doubles event at the Shanghai Masters after winning their opening match, giving Andre Goransson and Alex Michelsen a walkover.

Both men lost their opening matches in singles, and may be keen to get home, rest and focus on their upcoming tournaments instead of staying in Shanghai.

10 hours ago07:15 Yasmin Syed

Rune advances after scare

Holger Rune sparked concern when he called the doctor and had his blood pressure checked during the first set of his match against Ugo Humbert.

The No. 10 seed visibly struggled in the brutally hot conditions in Shanghai, but he played on and sealed a straightforward 6-4 6-4 victory.

"Did not look good midway through the first. I must admit, I thought it was going to be a lot closer in the second [set], physically he looked better," Arvind Parmar said on commentary.

10 hours ago07:08 Yasmin Syed

Pegula speaks out after 'brutal' loss

Jessica Pegula blew three match points in a nail-biting semi-final at the China Open on Saturday, suffering a 6-3 1-6 7-6(6) defeat to Linda Noskova.

Pegula served for the match at 6-5 in the second set and had three chances to take it, but Noskova broke and forced a tiebreak, going on to win.

Taking to Instagram after the match, the American wrote: "brutallll but gave it my all. Thank you @chinaopen and all the fans this week."

10 hours ago06:48 Yasmin Syed

Sinner hits back at Zverev

The court speeds are noticably slower in Shanghai this week compared to previous years, and several players have voiced their disproval of the slower conditions.

On Saturday, Alexander Zverev claimed tournament directors were slowing down courts to favour Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who they hoped to see reach the finals of every event.

But world No. 2 Sinner wasn't having it. "You know, me and Carlos, we don't make the courts. It's not our decision. We try to adapt ourself in every situation. I feel like still every week is a bit different," he replied.

"I've played some great tennis even when it was faster courts. But I'm not making the courts, you know, so I just try to adapt and play my best tennis I can, and that's it."

Read more here

10 hours ago06:37 Yasmin Syed

Rune has vitals checked

Players have been struggling in the hot and humid conditions throughout the week in Shanghai, and No. 10 seed Holger Rune sparked concern during his third-round match on Sunday.

Leading 4-2 against Ugo Humbert in the first set, Rune called the doctor and had his vitals checked.

“This is really not a good sign for Rune, he’s really struggling here. We’ve just been told, he’s said to the umpire he’s not feeling very well. That last forehand, he just checked out. He’s struggling,” Arvind Parmar said on commentary.

But Rune decided to play on and took the opening set 6-4. He left the court for a five-minute bathroom break to change his clothes.

10 hours ago06:25 Yasmin Syed

Raducanu picks surprising favourite

British No. 1 Emma Raducanu appeared in a new Tennis Channel video, where players rank the best matches of the year.

And the former US Open champion surprisingly revealed that one of her standout matches was a loss.

"I actually would, I would say my match with Aryna [Sabalenka], that deserves a spot, at Wimbledon," Raducanu said.

"For the atmosphere, and the viewing numbers were insane, so I think that could potentially be on the board."

Raducanu led by a break in both sets of her thrilling third-round contest with Sabalenka at Wimbledon, but the world No. 1 came back to win 7-6 6-4.

10 hours ago06:19 Yasmin Syed

Goffin retires minutes into match

David Goffin's Shanghai Masters campaign came to a disappointing end on Sunday when he was forced to retire very early on in his third-round match against Gabriel Diallo.

The former world No. 7, who has fallen outside of the world's top 80, got a huge win against No. 6 seed Shelton in the previous round.

But Goffin struggled to move on the court on Sunday, and called it quits after just 10 minutes. As Diallo sat on his bench for the first changeover leading 3-0, Goffin came over to shake hands.

The Belgian star did not take a medical time out before retiring. The umpire announced: "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Goffin cannot compete due to an injury, Diallo wins 3-0 retirement."

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