Tennis news today: Casper Ruud and Matteo Berrettini withdraw from Kitzbuhel Open, Elina Svitolina urges people to keep highlighting the ongoing war in Ukraine | 25 July 2022

Casper Ruud and Matteo Berrettini (L) and Elina Svitolina.

Casper Ruud and Matteo Berrettini, who competed in the Swiss Open final over the weekend, have pulled out of this week's Kitzbuhel Open. Elina Svitolina, who has been quite outspoken about the ongoing war in her native Ukraine, has urged people to keep talking about the grim situation in her country.

ATP chief Andrea Gaudenzi is considering both the Halle Open in Germany and the Queen's Club Championships in the UK as potential tournaments to hold a Masters 1000 on grass. Lorenzo Musetti defeated Carlos Alcaraz to win his maiden ATP title at the Hamburg European Open.

Former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka shared a cute video of her training session in which she was joined by her son Leo. Here's a round-up of the day's headlines:

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Casper Ruud and Matteo Berrettini to skip the Kitzbuhel Open

Casper Ruud and Matteo Berrettini, the top two seeds at the Kitzbuhel Open, have withdrawn from the tournament. The former cited an issue with his shoulder, while it was fatigue for the latter. The duo contested the final of the Swiss Open in Gstaad on Sunday, with Ruud coming out on top to successfully defend his title.

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Elina Svitolina urges people to keep talking about the situation in Ukraine

Elina Svitolina was invited by the first lady of Ukraine to meet the President of Poland and his wife at the Second Summit of the First Ladies and Gentlemen. The tennis star took to social media to share an important message. As the war in Ukraine hits the 150 day mark, she has urged people to stay united and not stop talking about the atrocities committed by Russia.

As far as tennis is concerned, it's going to be a while before Svitolina is back on the court. The former World No. 3 is currently expecting her first child with her husband Gael Monfils.

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A Masters 1000 event on grass will be held in either London or Halle

Grass is the only surface on which there's no Masters 1000 tournament during the year. That's about to change very soon, with either the Halle Open or the Queen's Club Championships set to get an upgrade. Currently, both tournaments are classified as ATP 500.

ATP chief Andrea Gaudenzi considers both Germany and the UK as top locations for the tournament to be held and spoke to Tennis Magazine regarding the matter.

"A grass Masters makes sense, especially in the large and important market of Germany, which was the number one tennis market in the 1990s. Germans love tennis and its history. It's the same with the U.K. market. It has the same chances as Germany. It offers the advantage that the players are already in London before Wimbledon. But London has Wimbledon," Gaudenzi said.

If not Halle, other locations in Germany are also being scouted.

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Lorenzo Musetti wins the Hamburg European Open

Lorenzo Musetti defeated Carlos Alcaraz in a three-set thriller to win his maiden ATP title at the Hamburg European Open. The Italian wasted five match points in the second set but got the job done in the third to win 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-4.

For Alcaraz, this was his first loss in a final. The teenager was the favorite to win the match but was outplayed by Musetti.

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Victoria Azarenka shares a video of son Leo joining her workout

Two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka is gearing up for the upcoming hardcourt swing. She took to Instagram to share an adorable clip of her son Leo joining her workout.

"Sports Saturday! I love to share activities with Leo! when he comes and joins the trainings and practices it’s a cool bonding time. I realize how closely our kids watch what we do and it’s so fun to see that Leo wants to share a part of that. Slide left to see Leo making his goal my super loud cheering," Azarenka said on Instagram.

Azarenka is set to return to the tour at the Citi Open in Washington next week.

Also Check Out: Elina Svitolina Net Worth