ISTANBUL (AP) — Tens of thousands of supporters of the deposed leader of Turkey’s main opposition party marched through central Ankara on Saturday.
Ozgur Ozel was removed from his post at the head of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, by court order on May 21. Many people consider the ruling to be a politically motivated bid to neutralize the opposition.
Crowds earlier gathered in Guven Park in the heart of the Turkish capital to hear Ozel deliver a speech condemning his removal. They then joined him on an impromptu march to the mausoleum of Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
“They are attempting to replace the CHP’s elected chairman and appoint a trustee,” Ozel told supporters. “Today is the day to restart our march to power. I wish this were an internal party matter. This is not an internal matter for the CHP. This is a matter between (President) Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the nation.”
The appeals court ruling overturned a 2023 party congress vote that appointed Ozel as CHP leader. The court decision replaced him with his predecessor, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, sparking outrage among party supporters.
Ozel, 51, succeeded the 77-year-old Kilicdaroglu after 13 years of mostly ineffective opposition to Erdogan.
Ozel has framed the court case, which centered on alleged irregularities in the congress vote, as the latest legal attack on the CHP. Criminal cases across the country, mostly alleging corruption in CHP-run municipalities, have seen hundreds of elected officials and party members detained.
The government insists that Turkey’s courts are impartial and act independently of political pressure.
As people were gathering in Guven Park, Kilicdaroglu was holding a rival gathering at the CHP headquarters in Ankara, which police stormed last Sunday to remove Ozel and his supporters.
Addressing a much smaller crowd, Kilicdaroglu condemned the previous party administration for overseeing widespread corruption.
The CHP is level with the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, in most recent opinion polls and although the next election is not due until 2028, many expect Erdogan to push for early elections.
Ozel delivered a serious blow to the AKP in the 2024 municipal elections, strengthening the opposition’s grip on key cities it had won five years earlier, including Istanbul and Ankara.
The CHP mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, emerged as the likeliest challenger to Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003, in the next presidential poll. But he has been imprisoned since March last year as he faces several criminal cases that could see him sentenced to decades behind bars.
Deposed leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Ozgur Ozel arrives for a rally in Izmir, Turkey, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Erdem Sahin)
PARIS (AP) — Two days after Jannik Sinner’s shocking meltdown at the French Open, it’s still unclear what exactly the issue was that led to him wasting a seemingly insurmountable advantage in his second-round match.
What is clear, though, is that the top-ranked player has had a series of issues with heat and cramps in big matches throughout his career.
Sinner said after wasting a two-set and 5-1 advantage in his five-set loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo that he didn’t feel well when he woke up the morning of Thursday’s match.
Amid a week-long Paris heat wave, the temperature on Court Philippe-Chatrier rose to 32 C (90 F) during the match, and Sinner was clearly having a tough time cooling himself down as he reached for multiple ice bags and used a hand-held fan.
Still, he said the heat wasn't the issue.
“I think many things together caused this problem,” he said. “I just need my time now to process what went wrong here.”
It was Sinner’s 12th loss in 18 career five-set matches.
Here’s a look at some other matches during which Sinner had physical issues:
Less than two weeks before his French Open defeat, Sinner leaned on his racket bent over in exhaustion during an Italian Open semifinal against Daniil Medvedev.
Sinner had his right thigh treated by a trainer midway through the second set and drank pickle juice to relieve cramps. He was seen vomiting or spitting something out in the corner of the court in the night match, which was held in humid conditions.
Still, he had regained control of the match before it was suspended overnight due to rain, and he came back the next day and finished it off in three sets and went on to win the title.
In the third round of this year’s Australian Open, Sinner was limping and desperately trying to stretch out cramps in his arms and legs amid severe heat against Eliot Spizzirri.
Sinner acknowledged he was lucky when the extreme heat rules saved him and the roof was closed just as he went down a break in the third set. He won it in four sets.
The Italian star, who was the two-time defending champion in Australia, was beaten by Novak Djokovic over five sets in the semifinals.
Amid extreme humidity in the third round of his title defense at the Shanghai Masters in October, Sinner retired midway through the third set against Tallon Griekspoor.
He limped between points and frequently massaged his right thigh in the deciding set. On a changeover, he didn’t sit and instead put his legs up on his bench to try and ward off a cramp.
Sinner retired 22 minutes into the Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz last year because of illness, amid extreme heat.
He put an ice pack on his head during a changeover but was clearly having trouble from the start.
“Didn’t feel great from yesterday,” Sinner said. “Also during the night, I thought I would recover a bit better, but it was not the case. I just tried to go out for the fans, trying to give a match. But it was not meant to be for me today.”
It was the first time in his career that he retired during a final. After he stopped playing, Alcaraz went over and put his arm around his rival as Sinner sat in his chair.
In the fourth round of the 2025 Australian Open against Holger Rune, Sinner advanced in four sets as both players struggled with the heat.
In the third set, Sinner’s hand was trembling during a changeover. He asked for a trainer, and told a ball kid to bring him something to drink from his team. The player’s pulse was checked, and then he trudged off with a towel draped around his neck and a bottle in each hand.
Sinner went on to win the title.
During a five-set loss to Medvedev in the 2024 Wimbledon quarterfinals, Sinner felt ill and dizzy and said he hadn’t slept well the night before.
He was treated by a trainer and left the court during the third set, then briefly surged before faltering again.
(corrects from cucumber juice in Rome section of previous story to pickle juice)
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Jannik Sinner of Italy reacts as he plays against Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina during their second round men's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Jannik Sinner of Italy receives medical assistance during a break at the second round men's singles tennis match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Jannik Sinner of Italy reacts as he cools himself with the water during a break at the second round men's singles tennis match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Thursday, May 28, 2026, as temperature rises up to 33 C (91 F). (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Jannik Sinner of Italy reacts as he feels unwell because of the heat during the second round men's singles tennis match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Thursday, May 28, 2026, as temperature rises up to 33 C (91 F). (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
