Joshua Robinson

London, Paris

European Sports Reporter at The Wall Street Journal

@WSJ European sports reporter. NYT bestselling co-author of THE FORMULA (2024), MESSI VS. RONALDO (2022), and THE CLUB (2018) https://t.co/EV4eU4th3P

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Articles

The Grand Slam Semifinalist Who Escaped Disqualification Despite Hitting a Line Judge

3 days ago | wsj.com | Joshua Robinson

When Lorenzo Musetti kicked a ball in frustration, it nearly saw him unceremoniously dumped out of the French Open. Instead, he came away with a warning—and a spot in the tournament’s final four. Lorenzo Musetti was playing the greatest Grand Slam of his life on Tuesday when a single moment nearly saw him unceremoniously drummed out of Paris. Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
The No. 361 Ranked Player Who Just Pulled Off One of the Biggest Upsets in Tennis

4 days ago | wsj.com | Joshua Robinson

They arrived just in time. Boisson, currently No. 361 in the world, took down American Jessica Pegula, ranked 358 places ahead of her, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to book her spot in the French Open quarterfinals. Boisson, 22, is the lowest ranked player to reach a major quarterfinal since Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi at the 2017 U.S. Open. “Once it was full, it was incredible,” Boisson said in French.
The Coach Who Took a Cursed Job and Became a European Champion

5 days ago | wsj.com | Joshua Robinson

Paris Saint-Germain burned through managers at a rate of one every 18 months until Luis Enrique arrived—and delivered the one trophy the club had always craved. Over the past decade, coaching Paris Saint-Germain had turned into one of the most cursed jobs in sports. Even though the club showered its managers with cash and armed them with superstar players, the bar for success seemed unattainably, impossibly high.
Paris Saint-Germain Finally Clinches First Champions League Title

6 days ago | wsj.com | Joshua Robinson

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The Ragtag Squad of Castoffs That’s 90 Minutes From Champions League Glory

6 days ago | wsj.com | Joshua Robinson

MunichNothing about the way Inter Milan built its team should have added up to reaching a Champions League final. Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
He’s Supposed to Be a College Freshman. Instead, He’s Lighting Up the French Open.

1 week ago | wsj.com | Joshua Robinson

The 18-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca was set to play tennis for the University of Virginia. But he’s proving that the pro tour is where he belongs. The sun-baked court at the far end of Roland-Garros was so loud that Joao Fonseca couldn’t hear himself speak. Everywhere he turned, he was met by the noise of fans in the canary-yellow jerseys of Brazil’s national soccer team. They were all chanting his name. Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
The 55-Year Experiment to Turn Paris Into a Capital of Soccer

1 week ago | wsj.com | Joshua Robinson

Most of Europe’s biggest clubs were founded more than a century ago. Paris Saint-Germain was a more modern invention, designed to put the French capital on the soccer map. Before Paris Saint-Germain’s players left this week for the most important match in the club’s history, they already knew what awaited them when they returned.
The French Open Draws a Line in the Sand Over Robot Umpires

1 week ago | wsj.com | Joshua Robinson

Roland-Garros is the last of the major tennis tournaments to trust human line judges over electronic calls, resisting technology in favor of the age-old method of pointing at some marks in the dirtAll over the red courts of Roland-Garros, a rare, nearly silent species roams the clay, battling against extinction. Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
The Tennis GOAT Is Running Out of Time

1 week ago | wsj.com | Joshua Robinson

Novak Djokovic arrives at the French Open battling a slump in form and a slide down the world rankings. ‘It’s a completely different feeling.’PARIS—While the elite of men’s tennis reacquainted itself with the tony confines of Roland-Garros this past week, easing into this posh corner of the French capital, Novak Djokovic was stuck 300 miles away. The 24-time Grand Slam champion didn’t have the luxury of a gentle return to Paris.
The $100 Million Showdown Between Soccer’s Biggest Trainwrecks

2 weeks ago | wsj.com | Joshua Robinson

They were miserable seasons that just kept getting worse. Manchester United spent a fortune on new players, fired its manager, and then considered firing his replacement as it slumped to its lowest league finish in Premier League history. It currently sits 16th in the standings. Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8