Tennis news today: Novak Djokovic praises Carlos Alcaraz following Madrid Open loss, Gilles Simon to retire at the end of the season | 8 May 2022

Teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz edged out World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in a three-set thriller in the semifinals of the Madrid Open. The Serb later took to social media to praise the youngster and wish him luck in the final. Frenchman Gilles Simon, meanwhile, is set to wind up his nearly two-decade-long career at the end of the season.

Ons Jabeur won the Madrid Open by defeating Jessica Pegula in the final, becoming the first Arab woman to win a WTA 1000 title. Alexander Zverev, meanwhile, is just one win away from a successful title defense in Madrid.

The 2022 Italian Open begins on Sunday with players getting ready for the last big tournament prior to Roland Garros. Here's a round-up of the day's news:

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Novak Djokovic takes to social media to praise Carlos Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz battled for over three hours in an exciting semi-final showdown at the Madrid Open. The World No. 1 was close to victory in the second set, but ended up losing 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5). He took to Instagram after the match to applaud the youngster and wish him good luck in the final.

"Great things to come from this talent in the future. Good luck in the final tomorrow @carlitosalcarazz. Muchas gracias Madrid!" Djokovic wrote.

Overall, it was a good week for Djokovic. The Serb played some fantastic tennis and now seems to be close to his best. He is set to compete at the Italian Open next and will face either Aslan Karatsev or Lloyd Harris in the second round.

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Gilles Simon announces retirement

Frenchman Gilles Simon is set to retire at the end of the season. He took to Twitter to announce his decision.

"It has been a magical, wonderful and extraordinary adventure. It will end at the end of the year. A huge THANK YOU to all those who have made it possible. There is no sadness, no regret. Just the will to put everything I have left. On every match, until the end," he tweeted.

Since turning pro in 2002, Simon has won 14 titles and reached a career-high ranking of World No. 6 in 2009. His best results at the Majors were reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2009 and the 2015 Australian Open.

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Ons Jabeur wins 2022 Madrid Open

Ons Jabeur won the biggest title of her career by defeating Jessica Pegula 7-5, 0-6, 6-2 in the final of the Madrid Open. It was her second career title and first on clay. A trailblazer for Arab and African tennis, Jabeur will return to her career-high ranking of World No. 7 when the rankings are updated next week.

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Alexander Zverev ousts Stefanos Tsitsipas to keep Madrid Open title defense alive

World No. 3 Alexander Zverev is just one win away from successfully defending his Madrid Open title. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in the semifinals on Saturday. His opponent in the final will be the in-form Carlos Alcaraz, who scored wins over Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to reach the title round.

Zverev is aiming to win his 20th career title and third in Madrid. He lost to Alexander Bublik in his only other final this season at the Open Sud de France in February.

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Players getting ready for 2022 Italian Open

The 2022 Italian Open is all set to begin. The tournament will kick off with a few men's singles matches on Sunday. With Roland Garros set to begin in a couple of weeks, this is the last opportunity for players to get some much-needed match practice on clay.

Former US Open champion Marin Cilic, World No. 34 Aslan Karatsev and America's Frances Tiafoe are some of the players in action on Sunday.