Rafael Nadal has been out for four to six weeks due to a rib strain. The injury occurred during the Spaniard's win against Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semi-final on Saturday. Providing an update on his personal Twitter page on Tuesday, Nadal posted: "As it turns out, I have a strain on one rib and I will be out for 4-6 weeks. "It's not good news and I didn't expect it. I'm overwhelmed and sad because I had such a great time after the start of the season. “I arrived at a very important part of the year with great feelings and great results. "But hey, I've always had a fighting and overcoming spirit and what I will do is be patient and work hard after I recover. Thanks once again to everyone for the support."

Rafael Nadal says he suffered breathing difficulties during his straight sets loss to Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final. "It's hard for me to breathe. When I try to breathe it hurts and it's very uncomfortable," Nadal said. "When I'm breathing, when I'm moving it's like a needle here all the time. I feel a little dizzy because it hurts. It's the kind of pain that limits me a lot. It's not just about the pain, I don't feel great because it affects my breathing." "I can't even begin to describe how ridiculous it is to play, how could I play today, I've never felt more pain than I did before the match," said 24-year-old Fritz. "I took a few steps and screamed. I was trying to train hard and we worked a lot till the match. "I was really upset, basically almost crying because I felt like I had to pass out. "I went through a rollercoaster of emotions and suddenly got really happy thinking maybe I could play, but it didn't affect me at all.

Maria Sakkari defeated defending champion Paula Badosa to reach the biggest final of her career at Indian Wells. Inga Swietec beat Simona Halep 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 to reach the final at the Indian Wells Open on Friday to extend her winning streak to 10. Inga Swietec will take on Maria Sakkari in the final on Sunday, who broke down after a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 win over Paula Badosa in a late match.

Kyrgios went to the net to shake hands with Nadal, who won 7-6 (7-0) 5-7 6-4 to make the semi-finals. But immediately he slammed his racket on the ground. It sprung high, traveled half the length of the court and prompted a ball boy to take offensive action, moving out of the way to avoid being hit and potentially causing injury. Gilbert wrote on Twitter: "It's ridiculous to see penalties be serious after such a good match." Gilbert questioned whether this would happen, as the ATP, which runs the men's tour, only handed Alexander Zverev an eight-week suspended ban, as well as a fine, after the world number three took the umpire's chair. Violently hit his racket against him. He said: "The stick could easily go anywhere like a stand and kill anyone, seriously terrifying seeing him in front of a large crowd. Expressing regret for the incident, Kyrgios wrote: "I didn't want it to go anywhere near you to be honest."

Rafael Nadal defeated Nick Kyrgios in the blockbuster quarterfinals of Indian Wells to reach the final. Rafael Nadal beat Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (0), 5-7, 6-4 on Thursday. Nadal will face teenage sensation Alcaraz in the semi-finals. Nadal improved to 19-0 this year, the third best start of a season since 1990. "I think I played the third set well," Nadal said in an on-court interview. "I was coming back better, I was solid with my serve. Nick is one of these players that you have a problem with when he's motivated, so I'm happy to win." "I think he is unstoppable in terms of his career," Nadal said of Alcaraz. “He has all the ingredients, the passion. He is humble enough to work hard. He is without a doubt going to be a great rival now and for the next few months. Being selfish, such a star from my country It's great to be... I wish her all the best."

Tennis's Grand Slam Board announced this week that tie-breaks from the first to ten would be trialled across all Grand Slams with immediate effect as a means of providing "greater stability" to away-going matches. . For example, Wimbledon used a first-of-seven tie-break to decide the final set, which went up to 12-12. The 35-year-old also predicted the change would have a bigger impact at Wimbledon than the French Open, which he could have won for the 14th time at Roland Garros in May.

All four Grand Slams will use a 10-point final set tie-break on a trial basis, starting with the French Open. Under this new test, if the score reaches 6-6 in the final set, the match winner will be the first to win 10 points with a two or more point advantage. Roland Garros is the only major not to have a final set tie-break.