News'n'Clues - TENNIS Article Summaries

Ruud, new father, returns ‘to win matches and see if I can play for more than myself'

Source: {'href': 'https://www.atptour.com', 'title': 'ATP Tour'} Published: 2026-02-18 13:49:29

Casper Ruud won't have to look far for extra motivation as he begins his debut campaign at the Delray Beach Open this week. Just weeks after he and his fiancée Maria welcomed the birth of their first child, a daughter, the Norwegian arrives in Florida carrying more than racquets and expectations. “It was an incredibly emotional moment,” Ruud said. “I think for anyone who has become a parent, it's an incredible feeling and hard to explain with words. It's fun and exciting, I will try to use it as motivation and try to remember that you've travelled this far and being away from her, you might as well try your best and play some good tennis while you're at it.” Ruud had already gathered momentum this season by reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open before he returned home to Norway, where he announced his daughter's arrival at the end of January. The early-season hard-court swing will test that balance. “It will be a tough trip, because it won't be that easy for them to come over here and I will miss them and at times feel homesick,” Ruud said. “I'll do my best and see if I can end the hard-court swing, for a while, on a good note before we head back to Europe and start the clay season. “That will be the goal for these couple of weeks and months coming up, [starting] here, then Acapulco, Indian Wells and Miami: To win some matches and see if I can play for more than myself.” Ruud begins that run in a strong Delray Beach field that features two-time champion Taylor Fritz and reigning Next Gen ATP Finals titlist Learner Tien. First up for the second-seeded Ruud is Giron on Wednesday, with their Lexus ATP Head2Head series locked at 2-2. “I haven't got an overuse of my arm yet. I haven't carried her too much yet!” Get official marketing communications from the ATP and WTA! No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc..

Frances Tiafoe forced to black out sponsor logo before Delray Beach match

Source: {'href': 'https://www.tennis.com', 'title': 'Tennis.com'} Published: 2026-02-18 04:29:56

The chair umpire delayed the start of his match against Rinky Hijikata after Tiafoe's shirt violated ATP logo rules.ByStephanie LivaudaisPublished Feb 18, 2026 copy_link Frances Tiafoe had a strange start to his match at the Delray Beach Open on Monday.The No. 8 seed opened his campaign at the ATP 250 event in South Florida against Aussie qualifier Rinky Hijikata. But before their match began, umpire Joshua Brace climbed down from his chair and halted Tiafoe, informing him that his shirt violated the ATP's logo rules.Read More: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner return in Doha, while Elena Rybakina leads a strong field at the WTA 1000 in DubaiTiafoe was wearing lululemon's Ventilated Sleeveless Tennis Shirt in black, which featured the lululemon logo on the left chest, along with two stacked logos on the right chest for tech company UKG and multinational bank Barclays.As the delay stretched on, the Delray Beach crowd began booing loudly while officials searched for a solution. That solution proved simple—Brace had a ball kid bring over a black marker and used it to color over the offending logo. 8 seed opened his campaign at the ATP 250 event in South Florida against Aussie qualifier Rinky Hijikata. But before their match began, umpire Joshua Brace climbed down from his chair and halted Tiafoe, informing him that his shirt violated the ATP's logo rules.Read More: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner return in Doha, while Elena Rybakina leads a strong field at the WTA 1000 in DubaiTiafoe was wearing lululemon's Ventilated Sleeveless Tennis Shirt in black, which featured the lululemon logo on the left chest, along with two stacked logos on the right chest for tech company UKG and multinational bank Barclays.As the delay stretched on, the Delray Beach crowd began booing loudly while officials searched for a solution. That solution proved simple—Brace had a ball kid bring over a black marker and used it to color over the offending logo. Read More: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner return in Doha, while Elena Rybakina leads a strong field at the WTA 1000 in DubaiTiafoe was wearing lululemon's Ventilated Sleeveless Tennis Shirt in black, which featured the lululemon logo on the left chest, along with two stacked logos on the right chest for tech company UKG and multinational bank Barclays.As the delay stretched on, the Delray Beach crowd began booing loudly while officials searched for a solution. That solution proved simple—Brace had a ball kid bring over a black marker and used it to color over the offending logo. That solution proved simple—Brace had a ball kid bring over a black marker and used it to color over the offending logo. That solution proved simple—Brace had a ball kid bring over a black marker and used it to color over the offending logo. Umpire using a marker over one of the logos on Tiafoe's top. Tiafoe, laughing, asked what he was supposed to do about the rest of his shirts. The American is known for sweating heavily and going through multiple outfit changes during a match. He packed his spare shirts into a bag, sent it to his team along with the marker, and had them black out the Barclays logo on each one.According to the ATP rulebook: “If sleeveless, then two logo positions may be placed on the front, however neither shall exceed 6 sq in (3 sq cm).”It wasn't the first time a player has run afoul of logo rules before a match. Last year at Roland Garros, Hailey Baptiste was stopped because the Nike logo on her headband was too large. According to the ATP rulebook: “If sleeveless, then two logo positions may be placed on the front, however neither shall exceed 6 sq in (3 sq cm).”It wasn't the first time a player has run afoul of logo rules before a match. Last year at Roland Garros, Hailey Baptiste was stopped because the Nike logo on her headband was too large. Last year at Roland Garros, Hailey Baptiste was stopped because the Nike logo on her headband was too large. Tiafoe became an official brand ambassador for Lululemon in January 2025 after previously wearing Nike, and he competes in K-Swiss shoes.Once his outfit was sorted, the 28-year-old needed just 73 minutes to secure a 6-4, 6-4 win and move into the second round, improving his record at the tournament to 12–4.“I'm happy, I'm happy. It's nice to have another home tournament.”Tiafoe, who won his first ATP title at Delray Beach in his 2018 debut, will next face American qualifier Zachary Svajda. Once his outfit was sorted, the 28-year-old needed just 73 minutes to secure a 6-4, 6-4 win and move into the second round, improving his record at the tournament to 12–4.“I'm happy, I'm happy. It's nice to have another home tournament.”Tiafoe, who won his first ATP title at Delray Beach in his 2018 debut, will next face American qualifier Zachary Svajda. It's nice to have another home tournament.”Tiafoe, who won his first ATP title at Delray Beach in his 2018 debut, will next face American qualifier Zachary Svajda. Tiafoe, who won his first ATP title at Delray Beach in his 2018 debut, will next face American qualifier Zachary Svajda.

Extended Highlights: Berrettini, Fonseca, Cerundolo win Rio de Janeiro openers

Source: {'href': 'https://www.atptour.com', 'title': 'ATP Tour'} Published: 2026-02-18 04:23:31

Fonseca plots Phoenix Challenger repeat; Hurkacz headlines Cap Cana entry list

Source: {'href': 'https://www.atptour.com', 'title': 'ATP Tour'} Published: 2026-02-18 04:14:29

Extended Highlights: Paul converts 11th MP; Korda, Kecmanovic advance in Delray Beach

Source: {'href': 'https://www.atptour.com', 'title': 'ATP Tour'} Published: 2026-02-18 04:09:40

Alcaraz goes fishing with Sinner, Medvedev and Rublev—in matching attire—ahead of opening Doha win

Source: {'href': 'https://www.tennis.com', 'title': 'Tennis.com'} Published: 2026-02-18 00:33:45

1 enjoyed a taste of local culture with some of his favorite peers on tour in Doha.Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner joined besties Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev for an outing on the water. But before resuming his winning ways, the world No. 1 enjoyed a taste of local culture with some of his favorite peers on tour in Doha.Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner joined besties Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev for an outing on the water. The video shared by the tournament showcased Rublev's unfiltered reactions to it all, with all four players succeeding in reeling in their catch of the day.A day after Sinner opened his Qatar ExxonMobil Open campaign with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Tomas Machac, Alcaraz followed suit Tuesday by eliminating Arthur Rinderknech. A day after Sinner opened his Qatar ExxonMobil Open campaign with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Tomas Machac, Alcaraz followed suit Tuesday by eliminating Arthur Rinderknech. The Spaniard saved both break points he faced and erased a pair of set points at 5-6 in the second set to fend off Rinderknech, 6-4, 7-6 (5).“One time you let me win?” the Frenchman joked after dropping to 0-5 against Alcaraz.“Arthur is a really dangerous player. Nobody wants to play against him in the first round,” the top seed admitted after notching the 150th hard-court victory of his career.Alcaraz, who withdrew from last week's ATP 500 in Rotterdam, next meets Rinderknech's compatriot Valentin Royer for a place in the quarterfinals. “One time you let me win?” the Frenchman joked after dropping to 0-5 against Alcaraz.“Arthur is a really dangerous player. Nobody wants to play against him in the first round,” the top seed admitted after notching the 150th hard-court victory of his career.Alcaraz, who withdrew from last week's ATP 500 in Rotterdam, next meets Rinderknech's compatriot Valentin Royer for a place in the quarterfinals. Alcaraz, who withdrew from last week's ATP 500 in Rotterdam, next meets Rinderknech's compatriot Valentin Royer for a place in the quarterfinals.

Hot Shot: Fonseca's forehand rocket sends Rio de Janeiro 2026 crowd wild

Source: {'href': 'https://www.atptour.com', 'title': 'ATP Tour'} Published: 2026-02-18 00:00:09