Tennis

Venus Williams is getting a wild card into the singles and doubles draws for the BNP Paribas Open next month in the Southern California desert. The 45-year-old will be making her first appearance in the tournament since 2024, when she lost in the first round as a wild card. She's a three-time semifinalist, most recently in 2018. She boycotted the event between 2002 and 2016 after a controversial incident in 2001. "It's an honor to award the first wild card of this year's event to Venus Williams," tournament director Tommy Haas said Friday. "Venus is a legend of the game, and one of the most accomplished players our sport has ever seen." It will be Williams' 10th career appearance in the tournament, which runs March 4-15. A year ago, she was given a wild card, but didn't accept it. "I'm so excited to be heading back to Indian Wells and can't wait to return home to play in California," Williams said. She most recently competed in the Australian Open, losing in the first round in si

India's newest Davis Cup hero Dhakshineswar Suresh says his dream run for the country is "just the beginning" as he prepares to step into full-fledged competition on the ATP Tour after completing his studies at a US university. Pursuing communication studies at the Wake Forest University, the 25-year-old will complete his degree in May this year. In just two ties since making his debut in September 2025, Dhakshineswar boasts an impressive 4-0 record, with three of those wins coming against the Netherlands in Bengaluru last weekend. "It's a long way to go. It's just the beginning," said Dhakshineswar, who matched Leander Paes' feat of winning three matches in a single tie back in 2004 against Japan. Following Dhakshineswar's superlative show, India edged the Netherlands 3-2 to progress to the second round of the Davis Cup Qualifiers, where they will meet Korea in September. "I'll go back to the US to finish my studies, then come down in May and figure out my schedule. Once that's .

Australian Open 2026 grand final: Alcaraz becomes the youngest player to win the career slam as he lifted his 7th major title on the night.

Alcaraz beat Djokovic 2-6. 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 at the Rod Laver Arena to achieve the historic feat in what was a thrilling finale Down Under.

The Australian Open 2026 witnessed a 16 per cent rise in the overall prize pool from 2025, significantly increasing the prize money for men's singles winner

Novak Djokovic holds the record as the most successful player in the Australian Open men's singles event, with ten titles to his name

Djokovic's motivation isn't merely to add another trophy to the collection, it's about reaching a monumental milestone: his 25th Grand Slam singles title.

This is the 10th encounter between the two, and as each match passes, the rivalry grows more captivating.

The grand finale of men's singles between Djokovic and Alcaraz at the Australian Open 2026 will begin at 2 PM IST on Feb 1. Djokovic vs Alcaraz's match live streaming will be available on Sony LIV app

Before the start of the tournament, it was announced that the Australian Open 2026 will have a prize pool of $75 million, which is 16 per cent more than last year's prize pool of $63 million

With the 2026 victory, Rybakina has also avenged her 2023 Australian Open final loss against Sabalenka, where she lost another three-set thriller by 6-4, 3-6, 4-6

Margaret Court holds the record for most Australian Open women's singles title wins with 11 titles (seven in the Amateur era, four in the Open era)

Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 8-6, including a tight three-set win in the 2023 Australian Open final. However, Rybakina emerged victorious vs Sabalenka in 2025 WTA final

Djokovic joked that the crowd had certainly received full value for money and quipped that he would like 10 per cent of the tickets sold for the evening

With the final now in sight, Sabalenka will await the winner of the second semifinal between Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina.

This sets up a rematch of the 2023 Australian Open final, where Rybakina fell short against Sabalenka.

The top seed's power-packed game was too much for the Ukrainian, as she dominated from start to finish at the Rod Laver Arena.

With two dynamic matchups ahead, the stage is set for an unforgettable day of tennis in Melbourne.

Sabalenka, eyeing her fifth Grand Slam title, has been in scintillating form and will look to maintain her momentum.

Naturally there'll be attention on the backstory when Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina meet in the Australian Open women's semifinals. Top-ranked Sabalenka, who is seeking a third title in four years in Australia, is a 27-year-old from Belarus. She's popular on TikTok for her humorous posts and dance routines. Svitolina is a 31-year-old Ukrainian who will be returning to the Top 10 next week for the first time since returning from a maternity break she took in 2022. She reached her first Australian Open semifinal with a lopsided win over No. 3 Coco Gauff, needing only 59 minutes to end her run of three quarterfinal losses at Melbourne Park. They're both regularly asked questions relating to Russia's war on Ukraine. Both have regularly said they want the focus to be on tennis. Svitolina is trying to bring joy to the people of Ukraine, of course. Sabalenka said she supports peace. "It's very close to my heart to see a lot of support from Ukrainians," she said. "So I feel like (I)