Novak Djokovic broke yet another record as he reached the last four at the US Open.

The 36-year-old’s straight-sets win over Taylor Fritz saw him into the last four of a grand slam for the 47th time, overtaking Roger Federer’s tally.

Meanwhile, Coco Gauff became the first American teenager since Serena Williams in 2001 to reach the semi-finals.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at day eight at Flushing Meadows:

Pic of the dayPerformance of the day

Gauff dropped just two games as she blitzed Jelena Ostapenko 6-0 6-2 inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 19-year-old handed out a New York bagel in the first set to Latvian Ostapenko in only 20 minutes.

Quote of the dayStat of the daySong of the dayBrit watch

Defending champions Joe Salisbury and American partner Rajeev Ram are into the semi-finals of the men’s doubles.

Salisbury and Ram won the opening set against Argentinian duo Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-4 and came from 3-0 behind in the second by winning six games in a row.

Wimbledon boys’ champion Henry Searle lost in three sets to American Trevor Svajda in the second round of the juniors.

Fallen seeds

Women: Jelena Ostapenko (20), Sorana Cirstea (30).
Men: Taylor Fritz (9).

Who’s up next

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz takes on Alexander Zverev for a place in the semi-finals.

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka faces surprise package Qinwen Zheng of China.

Jack Draper arrived at the US Open simply hoping to stay fit, yet now he is chasing a place in the quarter-finals.

The British number four, 21, has endured an injury-hit year and slipped from a career-high ranking of 38 to outside the top 100.

A shoulder injury saw him miss Wimbledon and threatened his participation at Flushing Meadows.

Yet despite serving within himself in a bid to manage the problem, Draper is the only British player reach the last 16 after winning a tight four-set battle with American Michael Mmoh 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-3 on Saturday.

And having reached the second week of a grand slam for the first time, Draper is now looking to go even further.

“I mean, when I am playing, I’m not here just to be here and be happy to play. I’m a competitor when I get into the matches. I want to win everything,” he said.

“Definitely at the start of the week, there was real concern about my body and with the year I’ve had, whether I’d be able to play one match.

“Obviously it’s the best-of-five sets, so it’s completely different to what a three-set match even holds.

“You know, we just wanted to stay fit this trip. That was kind of the goal, you know, to get consistent competition in, because that’s just something I haven’t had.

“To come here this week and to play the way I have and to compete the way I have and for my body to hold up has been, it’s been pretty special for me, really.”

Draper faces Andrey Rublev, the combustible Russian eighth seed, for a place in the last eight.

“He’s been top 10 for many years, having great results, consistently doing well in the slams and won his first 1000 event this year,” added Draper.

“Anyone who you play in the fourth round, I suppose they’ve won three matches and they’re playing good tennis and feeling good out here, so it will be really difficult either way.”

Novak Djokovic is safely into the third round, but there were a couple of big shocks on day three of the US Open.

Seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was knocked out in five sets by Dominic Stricker, a qualifier ranked 128 in the world.

Then, in the night session, fifth seed and last year’s runner-up Casper Ruud fell foul of China’s world number 67 Zhang Zhizhen.

British qualifier Lily Miyakazi’s run came to and end in the second round.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at day three at Flushing Meadows.

Pic of the dayShock of the day

Chocolate-loving Dominic Stricker caused a major upset at the US Open by knocking out seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The chubby-cheeked 21-year-old qualifier from Switzerland, ranked 128 in the world, stunned two-time grand slam finalist Tsitsipas with a 7-5 6-7 (2) 6-7 (5) 7-6 (8) 6-3 victory to reach the third round.

The former French Open junior champion recently admitted his coach had told him to cut down on chocolate and cookies.

Yet it was Athens-born Tsitsipas who was left feeling sour after a four-hour slog on the Grandstand Court.

Brit watch

Miyazaki’s US Open adventure was ended in the second round by Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.

The 27-year-old came through three matches to qualify at Flushing Meadows for the first time and then picked up a maiden grand slam win against Margarita Betova in round one.

But the world number 198 found 15th seed Bencic, of Switzerland, too tough a nut to crack as she bowed out 6-3 6-3.

Miyazaki still leaves New York with the consolation prize of having virtually doubled her earnings for the year with a £98,000 pay day for winning her first-round match.

There were victories in the doubles for Jamie Murray, with Michael Venus, Joe Salisbury alongside partner Rajeev Ram, Lloyd Glasspool with Harri Heliovaara. and British pair Julian Cash and Henry Patten.

Quote of the dayFallen seeds:

Women: Petra Kvitova (11), Victoria Azarenka (18), Beatriz Haddad Maia (19), Magda Linette (24)
Men: Casper Ruud (5), Stefanos Tsitsipas (7), Francisco Cerundolo (20), Chris Eubanks (28).

Who’s up next?

Andy Murray kicks things off on Arthur Ashe against Bulgarian ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov. Fellow Brits Dan Evans, Cameron Norrie, Jack Draper and Katie Boulter are also in action along with Jodie Burrage, who faces the match of her life against second seed Aryna Sabalenka on Louis Armstrong.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul in a three-set thriller to reach the quarter-finals of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Wimbledon champion Alcaraz outlasted the American 7-6 (6) 6-7(0) 6-3 in a gruelling contest that lasted more than three hours.

The Spaniard suffered a three-set defeat against the American in the quarter-finals at the Toronto Masters last week.

Paul got the first break to lead 4-2, before Alcaraz rallied to bring up the tie-break, which he eventually claimed 8-6.

The second set proved another tight affair, with both players losing three service games at 5-5.

Paul saved three match points in a marathon 12th game which lasted more than 15 minutes to go into another tie-break.

This time, though, the American took control after an early mini-break to race into a 3-0 lead before then sweeping it to love.

Alcaraz broke in the first game of the deciding set, which he was leading 4-3 when rain forced play to be suspended after three hours and two minutes of a pulsating contest.

Following a delay of around an hour, the players headed out on court – but the match was soon paused again as the drizzle returned along with strong winds before the pair went off back inside.

When they were finally able to return to the court, Alcaraz picked up where he left off, clinching the next two games and sealing a trip to the quarter-finals.

Earlier on Thursday, Alexander Zverev battled past world number three Daniil Medvedev 6-4 5-7 6-4 to end a four-match losing streak against the Russian.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, the fourth seed, is out after he was beaten 6-3 6-4 by Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who recorded a first win over a top-10 ranked player in six matches.

Hurkacz goes on to play lucky loser Alexei Popyrin after the Australian earlier defeated Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2 1-6 6-3 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

Zverev will face Adrian Mannarino in the last eight. The Frenchman progressed after American wildcard Mackenzie McDonald retired during the second set of their third-round match, with Mannarino ahead 6-4 3-0.

The run of veteran Swiss Stan Wawrinka – who had been given a wildcard entry and knocked out 10th seed Frances Tiafoe in the last round – was ended with a 6-4 6-2 defeat by qualifier Max Purcell.

The Australian, who upset world number seven Casper Ruud on Wednesday, will next face Alcaraz.

Andy Murray overcame a tough fightback from Australian qualifier Max Purcell to reach the round of 16 in Toronto.

The Scot won 7-6 (2) 3-6 7-5 in two hours and 47 minutes to set up a meeting with Italy’s Jannik Sinner for a spot in the quarter-finals.

There was little separating Murray and Purcell in the first set, each man breaking and breaking back en route to a tiebreak.

Murray was finally able to put some distance between himself and his opponent by wrapping up the first set, but Purcell refused to lie down.

The world number 78 rebounded strongly in the second to force a third and deciding set.

Purcell went up a break early in the third, but a crucial service hold down 4-2 was enough to spur Murray on to once again even things up.

Neither man was able to gain a decisive advantage as the set wound down, until Murray broke Purcell’s serve in the 12th game to win the match.

Dan Evans turned around a difficult season in style by winning the biggest title of his career at the Citi Open in Washington.

The British number two arrived in the US capital on a seven-match losing streak at tour level dating back to April but, after dropping his opening set of the tournament to Gregoire Barrere, he won 10 in a row to lift the trophy.

Evans followed up victories over Frances Tiafoe and Grigor Dimitrov by defeating Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 7-5 6-3, keeping his focus during a lengthy rain delay in the second set.

The 33-year-old hit 26 winners and only eight unforced errors and saved his only break points – four of them – in the final game.

The relief and delight on Evans’ face was evident at the end and, speaking on court, he said: “I wasn’t playing very well and I wasn’t happy with my game.

“To do the work I’ve done and to stick with it and come through is (amazing). The last game sort of summed up my week. I got out of trouble and it was an amazing week.”

It is a second ATP Tour title for Evans, who won his first in Australia at the start of 2021, and lifts him to a career high ranking of 21.

Evans had appeared at something of a loss during the grass-court season, branding his efforts against Sebastian Korda at Queen’s embarrassing and saying he was not looking forward to playing any match.

He parted ways with his Argentinian coach of two years, Sebastian Prieto, but looked full of confidence as he used his all-round skills to counter the power of Griekspoor.

One break in each set proved enough, with Evans piling on the pressure at the end of the first set and then, after rain and the threat of lightning sent players and fans from the court for more than 90 minutes at 2-2 in the second, winning the final three games of the contest.

Reflecting on his change in fortunes, Evans told reporters: “Last week I lost (against Dominik Koepfer in Atlanta), having three match points, served for the match.

“You try not to let emotions get in the way when you’re in the tournament. I was confident after the second round that I was playing well but I had to keep telling myself it was match by match and not so long ago I wasn’t playing great.

“It was really only the grass I didn’t play well. I played well in Barcelona on the clay and then I had some rough matches which I didn’t get the best out of. I lost in three (sets) a few times or tight matches.

“Then I was playing well and I just couldn’t get over the line. That’s where you lean on your team to keep you working hard and training and practising hard.

“It’s especially good to get the outcome I got this week. But I said to myself once I got into the semis that that was a good effort and then I sort of reset and wanted to win the tournament.”

Evans is a tantalising four points short of breaking the top 20 for the first time in his career but will need arguably an even better showing at the National Bank Open in Toronto this week to achieve that having reach the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 event 12 months ago.

Evans faces Canadian wild card Gabriel Diallo in the opening round and could meet British number one Cameron Norrie in round two.

Dan Evans progressed to the final of the Citi Open with a straight-sets victory over Grigor Dimitrov in Washington.

The British number two eclipsed his Bulgarian opponent 6-3 7-6 (4) in just under two hours to set up a meeting with Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands.

Despite being overmatched in the power department, Evans put together a clean and composed performance as a sloppy Dimitrov was left to rue his own mistakes.

The world number 20 fired 24 winners to just nine from Evans, but came unstuck with 30 unforced errors.

Evans, who beat both Alexander Shevchenko and second seed Frances Tiafoe on Friday to reach the last four, is the first British player to make the final in Washington since Andy Murray in 2006.

He told the ATP’s website: “It was so hard after yesterday putting in such a big effort.

“Coming back today it was really important to not roll over and have a bad performance.

“The last few months that has happened a little bit. I’m really proud I could do that today. One more to go.”

Victory on Sunday would give Evans the second ATP title of his career following his victory in Melbourne in 2021.

Meanwhile, Griekspoor shocked American top seed Taylor Fritz in three sets in their semi-final clash as the world number 37 seeks his third title of the season.

Dan Evans progressed to the final of the Citi Open with a straight-sets victory over Grigor Dimitrov in Washington.

The British number two eclipsed his Bulgarian opponent 6-3 7-6 (4) in just under two hours to set up a meeting with Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands.

Despite being overmatched in the power department, Evans put together a clean and composed performance as a sloppy Dimitrov was left to rue his own mistakes.

The world number 20 fired 24 winners to just nine from Evans, but came unstuck with 30 unforced errors.

Evans is the first British player to reach the final in Washington since Andy Murray in 2006.

Meanwhile, Griekspoor rallied from a set down in his semi-final clash with American Taylor Fritz as the world number 37 seeks his third title of the season.

Andy Murray will leave a lasting legacy on British tennis after his "historic" Wimbledon exploits when retirement eventually comes, according to Marion Bartoli.

Murray and Bartoli both triumphed at Wimbledon in 2013, the Scot defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets and the Frenchwomen overcoming Sabine Lisicki.

A troublesome hip injury and subsequent surgery has caused issues in recent years for Murray, who also lifted the Wimbledon title in 2016 – adding to his US Open crown four years earlier.

The 36-year-old confirmed before the Queen's Championship last month that he has a period in mind for ending his professional career, leading Bartoli to hail Murray's impact on the sport.

"It's more for British tennis because the buzz when he won Wimbledon in 2013 for the first time was just insane – basically the whole country tuning in to watch that match," she told Stats Perform.

"Even the whole press, who are normally quite harsh with the players, especially the tabloids, were just cheering on for him because it was so historic.

"I can just remember the dinner we had at the Champions' Ball with Andy and his mother and my father and myself and it just felt like dinner with a mother and son, father and daughter, just being on the top of the world and just winning.

"Judy could say 'My son just won Wimbledon' and my dad could say 'My daughter just won Wimbledon' – it was very much that feeling. It was so special."

Murray, who has won two ATP Challenger titles this season, only made it as far as the second round at Wimbledon this month, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in a battling display on Centre Court.

His appearance at the British major represented another major milestone nevertheless, given injuries seemed set to curtail his playing days after the 2023 Australian Open.

Bartoli added: "For Andy, after all his surgeries and everything, it's about how much he can still enjoy his tennis.

"When he feels that's it, that every day on the practice court is not as enjoyable as usual, and he's dragging himself to practice, that’s when the passion is vanishing and you know it's time [to retire].

"It's not that difficult of a decision when that happens. When you still have that passion and fire but your body doesn't follow anymore, then it's slightly more difficult.

"In many ways, Andy had a second chance. He'd sort of announced his retirement when he lost in the Australian Open and everyone was crying.

"Then he decided to come back and he had those successes and those great matches and epics, so maybe he already feels like he had his second chance.

"He'll walk away with a beautiful family, a business – a hotel, I think, in Scotland where he grew up – so he has so many things to look forward to. I think he'll be a very happy man."

Murray's diminishing influence on the upper echelons of tennis marks a downturn in British fortunes, with Cameron Norrie seemingly the next in line.

"For the British side of tennis – you have Cameron Norrie – but you feel that especially with [Carlos] Alcaraz coming in and all those players it's going to be more difficult to win a slam," Bartoli continued.

"But he's going to have his chance as well. He's close to being top 10."

Rafael Nadal's impact on tennis has been "tremendous" but Marion Bartoli believes he already has a natural successor in Carlos Alcaraz.

The 22-time major champion confirmed he plans to retire next year following a decorated career that has seen him claim nearly every major honour in tennis.

His exit would leave just one of the sport's 'Big Three' left, in Novak Djokovic, following Roger Federer's retirement last year following the Laver Cup.

While Bartoli feels Nadal's legacy speaks for itself, she also suggests the rise of Alcaraz, who took his second grand slam at Wimbledon earlier this month, might mitigate his departure from the world stage.

"[His impact is] tremendous, but in some ways for him, because Alcaraz is Spanish, it almost feels like the torch has been passed," the 2013 Wimbledon champion told Stats Perform.

"[It is] the new generation that is starting to win, starting to be the best in the world. It might feel less like he's leaving tennis.

"Look at Roger. In Switzerland, there is nobody coming after [him]. In Spain, there is already somebody winning. Rafa will probably accept that, but it's never easy to walk away from something you have done for many years.

"That you have been so successful, that is part of your DNA, part of you, something that everybody recognises you for [in] being that amazing champion at Roland Garros."

Bartoli believes Nadal's decision has been made with an eye on the future, and acknowledges that the physical cost of his profession has to be considered.

"It's not easy to say that you're not going to play at Roland Garros again," she added. "That's just what you have to recover from. I think Rafa has been laying out his future really well.

"He's going into business, he's a father now. He has so many things to look forward to, but he has to preserve his body enough, so he doesn't have pains that stop him from living normally.

"As an athlete, when you walk away from your career, you don't want to have damaged your body so much that you can't even enjoy normal things in normal life.

"Rafa is at that point where he has to think whether it's worth giving it a final go or whether it's not worth it because it will damage his body long term."

Novak Djokovic's status as the greatest of all time is unharmed despite his Wimbledon final defeat, says Marion Bartoli.

Djokovic's hopes of winning a fifth straight Wimbledon title and a joint-record eighth overall were ended by a superb performance from Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who won in five sets to clinch a second grand slam despite only turning 20 in May.

Now 36, Djokovic has won 23 grand slams, more than any other male player, and though he missed the chance for a record-extending 24th at SW19 last weekend, Bartoli maintains his position as the greatest ever cannot be questioned. 

"If you have three or four more grand slams than anyone else, how can you even start the conversation?" she told Stats Perform. "The conversation is over.

"You can sort of go into more details with the surface but overall, especially when you look at the head-to-head and we know that Novak is leading the head-to-head against Roger [Federer] and against Rafa [Nadal].

"We know he's leading on the weeks at number one in the world. We know he has won all the grand slams three times and even more. You know, we know all those numbers. So then, what else do you need?"

For all of Djokovic's success, he has not always proved the most popular of players, in stark contrast to his 'Big Three' rivals Federer and Nadal.

Bartoli does not feel this plays into the conversation of who is the best ever and believes Djokovic can continue to challenge for grand slams in the coming years despite his advanced age. 

"If it's then how much you're liked by the crowd," Bartoli said. "That is something that is, you know, not a fact. That's purely an emotion, so you can't judge based on emotions.

"Even now, when you split the first three grand slams [of 2023] only with two players [Djokovic and Alcaraz], it's fair to say that the rest of the field is not quite at the same level as them, so Novak can sustain that level [at the top for longer]."

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are clearly ahead of the rest of the men's singles field, but Marion Bartoli believes both can be caught.

Alcaraz denied Djokovic a fifth straight Wimbledon title last weekend with a stunning five-set victory at SW19, to secure the 20-year-old Spaniard a second grand slam title.

As a pair, Alcaraz and Djokovic have now won the last five grand slams stretching back to last year's Wimbledon, and Bartoli feels they are far ahead of the chasing pack.

The former Wimbledon champion however suggests that gap could motivate others to work on their own game in order to catch up.

"Very much, when you look at the first three grand slams [of 2023], it's clear that there is Novak, Carlos and the rest and there is quite a gap between those two and the rest," she told Stats Perform.

"That's quite obvious with the results. That said, I think that's going to push them to sort of catch back just like Novak did with Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal].

"With [them] having more Grand Slams than him and wanting to be part of the conversation, that just pushed him to elevate his level.

"I think it's going to be the case on the ATP. I don't think the guys are going to look at Carlos and Novak saying 'Oh my god, they're just untouchable, and we're going to lose to them'.

"I think they're going to really try hard. Especially I can see [Holger] Rune, I can see [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, I can see [Daniil] Medvedev, all those and [Jannik] Sinner, being very eager and very hungry to just go and chase.

"I'm sure they can actually push them to work harder on their game to come up with something even better. So I don't see it as a runaway completely and there is no opposition.

"I think maybe it's going to take a little bit of time before they reach that level, but I just don't think it's going to be that easy in a way for Novak and Carlos to just win everything without having a say from the other players."

Bartoli, who won at SW19 in 2013 before retiring in 2018, believes Alcaraz has taken the best qualities of the 'Big Three' of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer and feels he is one of those spearheading a new era in tennis.

"In the eras before, when you look at Pete Sampras, and all those players, it was one way to play and then if you would take that play away it was a lot more difficult for them," she explained. 

"If you take Alcaraz for me, what is very interesting is he has almost the best of Novak, Roger and Rafa combined and that is new. I think it's very much sort of total tennis, when you feel there is just not one department that maybe is lacking a little bit.

"There is a lot of players from this or sort of the past generation that are not that complete, who are really going to suffer against those new kids like Alcaraz, Rune and Sinner who are coming in and just having nothing you feel that they could really do better.

"In that sense, I think that's going to be the new sort of tennis we will see for the next 10 to 20 years."

Novak Djokovic is capable of reaching 30 grand slam titles amid his "scary" run of major success, according to Mark Philippoussis.

The Serbian is a record 23-time grand slam champion, having already won the Australian Open and French Open this year.

And Djokovic will open his Wimbledon title defence on Centre Court against Argentine Pedro Cachin on Monday as he continues his pursuit of a calendar Grand Slam.

Djokovic is looking to match Roger Federer's records of eight Wimbledon titles overall and five consecutive wins at the tournament.

His seventh title at All England Club and his fourth straight success arrived last year with a four-set win over Nick Kyrgios in the final.

Philippoussis, who lost a Wimbledon final to Federer 20 years ago, sees no signs of Djokovic slowing down.

"What is he on, 23? I mean, if he stays healthy, could he break 30? Let's see if he plays for another few years, and he gets two a year, I mean, he's getting close to that, which is scary to think," Philippoussis said to Stats Perform.

"It's incredible and not only that, he's there two hours before he practices, he warms up properly, does all the right things, he's got his team around him. 

"And [after] he finishes practising, he warms down, he's there two to three hours even after he finishes practising, again with his team, which is a strong unit. 

"He does all the right things and still doesn't take the foot off the pedal.

"He's still looking to improve in any way he can, looking for the one per cent here, one per cent there, whether it's on or off the court, or his eating, or his fitness, it really is incredible."

Philippoussis believes Djokovic, who is 36, will break every significant tennis record before his career comes to an end.

Carlos Alcaraz has emerged as a huge threat to his dominance and is looking to end his Wimbledon winning streak, but the Australian still finds it difficult to bet against Djokovic.

"Djokovic is only slightly in front of Alcaraz, but it is impossible to look past him after what he's done at the Australian Open and the French Open," Philippoussis added.

"To beat Djokovic physically and mentally in five sets, you're going to have to be on in every department and that's if you find an opening from him, which is very, very difficult to find.

"What he's continuing to do in the game and the sport is incredible.

"I don't follow all the numbers, but if he's not past everything already, by the time he's done, I think he would be leading in pretty much all of the them. 

"Maybe Jimmy Connors is still ahead as far as [ATP] tournaments won, but I believe that by the time he's done, I think he will be leading all those departments."

French Open champion Iga Swiatek is the favourite in the women’s singles, although she has never previously made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Philippoussis thinks the women’s draw is far more open than on the men’s side. 

He said: "Swiatek is going to be a slight favourite but, again, grass is a different thing, it's completely different to other surfaces.

"Even though it has slowed over the years, it's still grass and you need to make those adjustments out on there. 

"You've got Rybakina, who hasn't had the best preparation, but she's definitely, as Wimbledon champion, going to have to be one of the favourites, and Sabalenka is definitely one of the favourites as well.

"But, in my opinion, I think the women’s is a little more open in the field, so I think a few girls have some opportunities."

Leading tennis players should speak out against "appalling" human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia as the Public Investment Fund (PIF) targets a partnership with the ATP Tour.

That is the view of Amnesty International's regional campaigner Reina Wehbi, who sees the prospective link as a way of distracting from the country's "crackdown" on basic rights. 

Earlier this week, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi told The Financial Times that talks had been held over a partnership between the PIF and the men's tour. 

Saudi Arabia's numerous sports investments – including the PIF's majority ownership of Newcastle United and the controversial LIV Golf circuit – have been denounced by critics as efforts to improve the country's reputation through 'sportswashing'. 

Speaking exclusively to Stats Perform, Wehbi said tennis stars should not shy away from criticism of Saudi Arabia's record on human rights.

"Saudi Arabia is promoting its colossal investment in sporting events and entertainment as progress and reform. This is a far cry from its appalling human rights record," Wehbi said.

"Saudi Arabia's interest in the ATP fits into a wider pattern of sportswashing that the country has been using to divert attention from its escalated human rights violations.

"Authorities continue their crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. Almost every single human rights defender has been unlawfully detained in Saudi Arabia. 

"Last year, Amnesty recorded the highest number of executions in 30 years in Saudi Arabia. Human rights should be a primary consideration when choosing where to host international sporting events and sporting bodies have the responsibility to undertake due diligence to identify and mitigate human rights violations directly linked to their events.

"Tennis players and all other celebrities should make sure to use their celebrity status and their popular platforms to speak up against abuses and be the voice of those put behind bars for exercising their rights.

"They should make sure not to offer Saudi Arabia uncritical praise and not to help it avoid scrutiny for its continued human rights violations behind the scenes. 

"All players should advocate for the respect and protection of human rights wherever they are."

Gilles Simon believes Andy Murray's inferior trophy haul means he cannot be grouped with tennis' 'Big Three' of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Murray has enjoyed a long and stellar career, reaching 11 major finals and claiming three grand slam titles, as well as spending 41 weeks ranked as the world number one.

But with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer boasting 23, 22 and 20 grand slam successes respectively, Simon feels Murray is not quite on their level.

"He's not part of the Big Three," Simon told Stats Perform at the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas. 

"You don't have to compare him with the Big Three, because he played at the very same time and we have the result.

"Andy was a fantastic player, just under these three guys in terms of level. In the end, the gap is huge in terms of titles: 23, 22 and 20, compared to three, so he's not part of the Big Four.

"He played at the same time as everyone and he has three and they have 20 or more. That's how I see it."

Simon – who won three of his 19 meetings with Murray before retiring in 2022 – feels the Scot was unfortunate to have competed with the 'Big Three' and would have been remembered as one of the game's greats in another era.

"He could have won 17 slams without the Big Three," Simon explained. "What is hard for Andy is to compare him to other players from other generations, when other players maybe have more slams than he has.

"If he had played at that time, he could maybe have had 15 and been one of the greatest. You cannot compare him with the Big Three, we saw it already, we saw the results.

"Where I feel sad for Andy is that if you play in a different era, you have 10 [grand slam titles] and then if we take the all-time rankings, we go to [Pete] Sampras with 14 and you say maybe he's here.

"This is where I feel it's a bit of an injustice for him compared to his level, because he would be closer to something like this than to someone who has three slams. He would be much higher in the all-time rankings."