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SHOCK REVEALED: WHY MARION BARTOLI FEARS CARLOS ALCARAZ WILL RETIRE YOUNG LIKE BJORN BORG

Marion Bartoli fears Carlos Alcaraz may retire early like Bjorn Borg after his sudden split with coach J.C. Ferrero.

SHOCK REVEALED: Why Marion Bartoli fears Carlos Alcaraz will retire young like Bjorn Borg
Bartoli officially warns Alcaraz

Marion Bartoli, the former Wimbledon champ, is a bit worried that Carlos Alcaraz might call it quits early, just like Bjorn Borg did, now that he's split with his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Last Wednesday, Alcaraz ended his coaching partnership with Ferrero. They had been together for over seven years, since 2018, when Carlos was only 16.

Lots of people were surprised by Alcaraz's decision to split with Ferrero, especially since he had his best season ever in 2025.

With Ferrero's help, the 22-year-old won 24 titles, including six Grand Slams. Ferrero used to be ranked No. 1 and won the French Open himself.

Carlos became the youngest world No. 1 in ATP history after winning the 2022 US Open when he was 19 years and four months old.

Bartoli told RMC Sport that if Jannik Sinner wins the first two Grand Slams of 2026, Alcaraz would bring Ferrero back in a heartbeat.

Bartoli, who used to be ranked No. 7, said, I'm somewhat concerned because he's got amazing talent.

But he needs a solid setup, or he might end up retiring young like Borg did at 25. He's a genius, and we want him to keep playing for a long, long time.

For the first six months, it'll be all about trying things out. You'll hear names being thrown around, and everyone will be wondering who'll get the job.

Coaching a genius like Alcaraz is a job loads of people would want.

If things don't work out with the new coach, and Sinner starts winning the first two Grand Slams—you know, the Australian Open, where Jannik's the big favourite, and the French Open, where he almost won—he's going to call Juan Carlos back right away. It's obvious.

So, when did Bjorn Borg retire?

Borg was probably the best player back then and is still considered one of the greatest. Between 1974 and 1980, he won 11 Grand Slams (six French Open titles and five Wimbledon titles).

The Swedish player, who won 66 singles titles, stunned the tennis world when he retired in 1983 at just 26 years old. He tried to come back in 199,1 but played his last match in 1993.

THE EIGHT-YEAR GAP: SVITOLINA REACHES FIRST WTA 1000 FINAL SINCE 2018 IN DUBAI

Svitolina stuns Gauff! Discover how she reached the Dubai final to face Pegula, plus Alcaraz's 11-0 streak and Venus' return.

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Ukrainian star reaches Dubai final after 3-hour marathon epic

Elina Svitolina stunned world number four Coco Gauff to earn a spot in the Dubai Tennis Championships final, where she’ll face Jessica Pegula.

Pegula got there first, clawing her way back after a rough start against Amanda Anisimova. She dropped the first set badly and even lost her serve early in the second, but still pulled off a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.

Gauff, just 21, almost set up an all-American final, but Svitolina refused to fold. The match? Epic. Svitolina took it 6-4, 6-7 (13-15), 6-4 after more than three hours on court. She let four match points slip in a wild second-set tiebreak, but didn’t let that break her. She powered through the decider, and now she’s back in the Dubai final for the first time since she won the title back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.

“I was playing like there’s no tomorrow, just giving it everything,” Svitolina said afterwards.

Over in the men’s Qatar Open, world number one Carlos Alcaraz kept his perfect 2026 record alive. He beat Andrey Rublev 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 to reach the final. Alcaraz, just 22, already grabbed the Australian Open this season and became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam. He’s won all 11 matches he’s played this year.

“I know what I can do every time I step on the court,” Alcaraz said.

He’ll face Arthur Fils from France in the final. Fils beat Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic, who’d knocked out world number two Jannik Sinner earlier in the week, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).

And in some more big news, Venus Williams is heading back to Indian Wells. The seven-time Grand Slam champ, now 45, got a wildcard for both singles and doubles.

“It’s great to be heading back to Indian Wells and returning home to California,” Williams said in a statement.

9-0 STREAK: ANALYZING CARLOS ALCARAZ’S PERFECT START TO THE 2026 TENNIS SEASON

Alcaraz hits 9-0: Discover why Valentin Royer warned Alcaraz and Sinner after their 2026 clash and the latest ATP rankings.

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Carlos Alcaraz extends his unbeaten 2026 run to nine matches

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner just got a playful warning from their ATP rival, Valentin Royer.

Alcaraz, with seven Grand Slam titles, and Sinner, who has four, have completely owned men’s tennis for the last couple of years. They’ve split the last nine majors; each grabbed four ATP Masters 1000 trophies; and keep swapping the No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings.

No one else has really kept up. Novak Djokovic is still hanging around, but the rest of the guys, like Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Ben Shelton, are all chasing from behind.

Alcaraz is rolling right now. He’s unbeaten in 2026 so far, standing at 9-0. After winning his first Australian Open title, he followed up with wins over Arthur Rinderknech and Royer.

After Alcaraz beat Royer 6-2, 7-5, the two shared a light moment at the net. Royer, currently world No. 60, told Alcaraz, “I’ll come for you and Jannik, don’t worry. Some day.” Alcaraz laughed and said, “I will wait for you, man.”

Royer actually had a shot in the second set. He broke Alcaraz’s serve early and was up 5-3, serving for the set, but Alcaraz broke back, held serve, and broke again to close out the match.

Asked if he was nervous, Alcaraz admitted, “Honestly, I had to be ready for anything. There were moments when I thought about a third set; I’m not going to lie. But that was just a small part of my mind. Mostly, I was focused on finding solutions, figuring out how to get back on track.

“I’m really happy I found my rhythm again and played good tennis. Sometimes it just comes down to one point. Closing out a set or a match isn’t always easy. I just had to stay in it, and I’m glad I turned it around and got the win in straight sets.”

Next, he faces seventh seed Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals. If he gets through, he’ll meet either Andrey Rublev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semis. Sinner is the likely opponent waiting in the final.

“Everybody expects us to play every final, every tournament, but that’s not easy. There are a lot of players out here who want to beat us,” Alcaraz said about a possible final against Sinner.

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