Page 23 - Tennis

Djokovic named Balkan athlete of the year record 8th time ahead of Jokic

Novak Djokovic was named the Best Balkan Athlete of the year on Monday for a record eighth time, ahead of NBA star Nikola Jokic. The 36-year-old Djokovic won three Grand Slam titles in 2023 to take his record tally to 24, while Jokic was named the NBA Finals MVP after leading the Denver Nuggets to the title. Both are from Serbia. The results of the annual poll were published by the Bulgarian News Agency. A total of 58 athletes received votes in the poll this year, with Bulgarian basketball player Alexandar Vezenkov coming third. Long jumpers Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece and Ivana Spanovic of Serbia, who won the men's and women's world championship titles last year, were fourth and fifth, respectively. This was the 50th anniversary edition of the Balkan poll, which is traditionally conducted by the national news agencies of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. This year, organizers also expanded the vote to .

Australian Open 2024: Two-time winner Naomi Osaka knocked out by Garcia

Osaka was beaten by 16th seed Caroline Garcia in the first round of the Australian Open 2024, which also marked her return to Grand Slam appearances after a one-year hiatus

Australian Open 2024: Defending champ Djokovic fends off Prizmic in 4 hrs

Until he took on defending champion Novak Djokovic at Rod Laver Arena on opening Sunday in Australia, Dino Prizmic had never played a Grand Slam match. The 18-year-old Croatian qualifier, who was born seven months after Djokovic made his Grand Slam debut in 2005, made it last as long as he could, unsettling the 24-time major winner at times before Djokovic finished off the match 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4. Djokovic made his Grand Slam debut at Melbourne Park in 2005 and has developed a record at the Australian Open that no man can match, with 10 titles here among his unprecedented career haul. The first set played out just about as expected. From there, it became quite a ride. Prizmic took the second set off Djokovic and went up a break in the third, stunning a capacity crowd before the world's No. 1-ranked player broke back and took the set. Prizmic didn't give up when he trailed 4-0 in the fourth, either, saving a breakpoint before getting a service break back. He saved three match

Australian Open 2024: Rublev survives a tough 5-setter, Sinner wins opener

Andrey Rublev felt like his Australian Open first-round match against Thiago Seyboth Wild was going to end just like his friend Daniil Medvedev's did at the French Open last year against the clean-hitting Brazilian. After wasting four match points in the 12th game of the fifth set, Rublev fell behind 5-2 in the match tiebreaker before regaining his composure, winning eight of the next nine points and clinching a 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (6) victory. He slumped to the ground, then got up quickly, embraced Seyboth Wild, who was making his debut in the Australian Open main draw and roared triumphantly. Seyboth Wild upset major winner Medvedev in the first round at Roland Garros last year and Rublev admitted he felt the momentum going the same way before he decided to relax and go for broke. For sure, I will not forget this one, the fifth-seeded Rublev said. Thiago is a super dangerous player. Super talented. He's hitting so hard, so clean. Fifth set, I had so many opportunities. I tho

Anisimova's comeback on track, reaches the 2nd round in Australian Open

An extended break from tennis has already done Amanda Anisimova some good at the Australian Open, where she reached the second round of a Grand Slam event for the first time since Wimbledon in 2022. Anisimova beat 13th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to advance in just her second tournament back. A teenager on the rise in 2019 when she beat reigning champion Simona Halep to reach the French Open semi-finals, Anisimova played her first match since May last week in Auckland after taking a break from tennis, citing burnout. The most important thing is that I feel a lot more refreshed. I'm enjoying practising. I'm enjoying every second that I'm out there, she said. Even when I was down today, I was still just enjoying the challenge. At the time she started her break last year, Anisimova said tennis had become unbearable and she had to prioritize her mental well-being. That meant missing the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, following first-round exits at the 2022 US

Sumit Nagal outclass Molcan to enter Australian Open 2024 singles main draw

India's Sumit Nagal on Friday entered the singles main draw of the Australian Open with an easy win over Slovakia's Alex Molcan in the tournament's qualifying final here. Nagal cruised past Molcan 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and three minutes, and won the match after his opponent double faulted at 30-40 in the 10th game of the second set. Nagal will now face Kazakhstan's World No. 31 Alexander Bublik in the first round. Currently World No. 139 in singles, this is Nagal's second main draw appearance in the season's first Grand Slam after his entry in 2021. Nagal went down to Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis in the opening round 2-6, 5-7, 3-6 that year. Nagal had also made it to the US Open main draw in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, Nagal had stretched legendary Roger Federer to four sets at the Flushing Meadows before losing 6-4, 1-6, 2-6, 4-6. However, a year later, the Indian managed to enter the second round of the season's final Grand Slam beating host nation's Bradley Klahn in the first ro

Australian Open 2024 dates, prize money, top seed players, live streaming

Australian Open 2024 has a total prize money of Rs 481.2 crore approx (86.5 mn Australian dollars). The women's and men's singles champions will each receive 3.15 mn Australian dollars (Rs 17.5 crore)

Australian Open 2024: Sumit Nagal one match away from making main draw

India's Sumit Nagal is just one match away from making the main draw of the Australian Open tennis tournament as he reached the final round of the qualifying tournament here on Thursday. Nagal beat Australian Edward Winter, a wild card, in the second qualifying match 6-3, 6-2 that lasted one hour and four minutes at the KIA Arena. The 26-year-old Indian will face Alex Molcan of Slovakia in the final round on Friday for a place in the season-opening Grand Slam proper. If Nagal, currently 139th in the singles world ranking, wins on Friday, he will enter the main round of a Grand Slam event for the first time since 2021 and fourth overall. He made it to the main round of the US Open in 2019 and 2020, and then featured in the Australian Open main draw in 2021.

Australian Open 2024: 'Mommy' Osaka ready to make her Grand Slam return

Smaller things are getting Naomi Osaka's attention now that she's preparing for her Grand Slam comeback. She's focusing on being more in the moment. More patient. More conscious of who may be watching her play her first major since 2022, and what kind of impression she'll leave. The first 15-day Australian Open, set to start Sunday morning (Saturday night in the U.S. ET), has been hyped as the tournament of comebacks. And Osaka has top billing among the three former No. 1-ranked, former Australian Open champions returning to Melbourne Park for their first time as moms. The attention on that returning trio Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki intensified after another prominent storyline fizzled out when Rafael Nadal's attempted comeback from a year-long injury layoff lasted three matches. The 22-time major winner has a small tear in a muscle near his surgically repaired hip and and flew home, leaving Novak Djokovic as the only remaining member of the so-called Big ...

Australian Open 2024: Djokovic and Swiatek get No. 1 seedings as expected

Playing true to their rankings, Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek have been given the respective No. 1 seedings at the Australian Open in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year which begins Sunday at Melbourne Park. Here is a list of the seedings: Men 1. Novak Djokovic 2. Carlos Alcaraz 3. Daniil Medvedev 4. Jannik Sinner 5. Andrey Rublev 6. Alexander Zverev 7. Stefanos Tsitsipas 8. Holger Rune 9. Hubert Hurkacz 10. Alex de Minaur 11. Casper Ruud 12. Taylor Fritz 13. Grigor Dimitrov 14. Tommy Paul 15. Karen Khachanov 16. Ben Shelton 17. Frances Tiafoe 18. Nicholas Jarry 19. Cameron Norrie 20. Adrian Mannarino 21. Ugo Humbert 22. Francisco Cerundolo 23. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 24. Jan-Lennard Struff 25. Lorenzo Musetti 26. Sebastian Baez 27. Felix Auger-Aliassime 28. Tallon Griekspoor 29. Sebastian Korda 30. Tomas Martin Etcheverry 31. Alexander Bublik 32. Jiri Lehecka Women 1. Iga Swiatek 2. Aryna Sabalenka 3. Elena Rybakina 4. Coco Gauff 5

Pro tennis tours trying to cut down on matches that stretch past midnight

In their first coordinated efforts to cut back on late-night tennis, the women's and men's professional tours introduced new scheduling guidelines Tuesday that include preventing matches from starting after 11 p.m. except with approval and recommending a 6:30 p.m. start for night sessions at tournaments. The WTA and ATP also announced that they are conducting what they called a strategic review to try to add more consistency to the kinds of tennis balls used starting in 2025, following complaints by players that the week-to-week changes in equipment are problematic and possibly causing more injuries. It's the latest example of the two tours working together. Match scheduling and tennis balls are both priority topics on our agenda, together with the WTA, ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said. It's imperative that we evolve and adapt to the demands of the modern game, particularly where player health and fan experience are concerned. The tours said the number of matches finishing after

No Nadal in Australia Open 2024: A never-ending quest to regain fitness

Since Nadal has suffered a minor muscle tear, the Spaniard is expected to return to court in the French Open, scheduled to begin May 20, 2024, ahead of the Paris Olympics at the end of July.

Coco Gauff heads to Australian Open with confidence high after Auckland win

U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff will head to the Australian Open with greater confidence in her form and fitness after beating Elina Svitolina in three sets in the Auckland Classic final. The third-ranked Gauff became only the fourth player to win back-to-back singles in Auckland, achieving the feat at the age of 19. Gauff didn't drop a set on the way to her first Auckland title in 2023 and extended that run to nine matches when she reached Sunday's final, again without dropping a set. But she lost the opening set against second-seeded Svitolina and had to work hard to win the match 6-7 (4), 6-3. 6-3 in just under three hours. Previously, she had spent only four hours on court in four matches and had dropped only 15 games on her way through the semifinals. Her serve, which had been a formidable component of her matches throughout the tournament she served 10 aces in beating American Emma Navarro 6-3, 6-1 in a semifinal deserted her on Sunday. She served only three aces but mixed th

Rafael Nadal pulls out of Australian Open 2024 due to muscle tear injury

Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Australian Open 2024 due to a muscle tear

Yuki Bhambri-Robin Haase pair loses in Brisbane International semifinals

India's Yuki Bhambri and his Dutch partner Robin Haase on Saturday lost their semifinal match against the duo of Lloyd Glasspool of England and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands in the Brisbane International ATP Tour tournament. The eight-seeded Indo-Dutch pair lost 3-6, 7-6, 9-11 to their second seeded opponents in the match that lasted one hour and 40 minutes. The Bhambri-Haase duo had beaten the American pair of Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow in straight sets -- 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) -- in the quarterfinals on Friday. Last year, the 31-year-old Bhambri from New Delhi won his maiden ATP title at the Mallorca Championships doubles competition, partnering with South African Lloyd Harris.

Nadal misses 3 match points, loses quarterfinal of Brisbane International

Rafael Nadal missed three match points and needed a medical time-out Friday before losing to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals of his tournament comeback following a year-long injury layoff. The 22-time major winner failed to convert a match point in the 10th game of the second set and two more in the tiebreaker before No. 55-ranked Thompson rallied to win 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 at the Brisbane International. With the Australian Open starting January 14, Nadal's rehabilitation from the hip injury and surgery that sidelined him for most of 2023 will be tested. The 37-year-old Spaniard opened the tournament with straight-sets wins over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler but was pushed for 3 hours and 25 minutes by Thompson in what was his third match in four nights. His energy level visibly waned at the start of the third set. And, after Thompson broke in the fourth game and then held for a 4-1 lead, Nadal was assessed by the trainer apparently for his upper left leg. He left the court fo

Nadal comes back from long layoff, reaches Brisbane International last 8

Rafael Nadal's comeback from a year-long injury layoff reached the Brisbane International quarterfinals after dominating Jason Kubler 6-1, 6-2 on Thursday. The 22-time major winner is playing on a wild card after his ranking slipped into the 600s as he recovered from hip surgery, and he's desperate for match time ahead of the Australian Open this month. Nadal's first competitive match since January last year was a win on Tuesday against 2020 U.S. Open champion and former No. 3-ranked Dominic Thiem. It means a lot to me," Nadal said, "and two victories after a long time being outside of the professional tour is something that, yeah, makes me feel good and happy. He was more convincing against Kubler, a hometown favorite who is ranked 63rd after a career interrupted by multiple operations on his knees. Nadal had 20 winners, including some ripping forehands, and eight unforced errors. He hit volleys and half-volleys and overheads. He scrambled to chase drop shots and covered the base

Davis Cup, IND vs PAK: SD Prajwal Dev added to Indian team as replacement

Talented SD Prajwal Dev on Thursday was added to the Indian team as a replacement player for the upcoming Davis Cup tie in Pakistan. Prajwal was not initially named in the squad for the World Group I Play-off tie on February 3 and 4 to be held in Islamabad, but got the call after reserve player Digvijay Singh pulled out of the tournament. I have been playing well in the ITF tournaments in India and abroad for the last two seasons. I view this opportunity as a reward for my consistency and I am quite elated to represent my country in the Davis Cup, Prajwal told PTI. The 27-year-old Prajwal, who led Karnataka in the recent National Games held in Goa, said: I am committed to giving my best on the court and contributing to a successful campaign for India. The Mysuru man is currently 609 in the ATP rankings. The All India Tennis Federation (AITA) is waiting for the clearance from the Indian government to travel to Pakistan. We have not yet got the approval in writing but it is likely

Davis Cup India vs Pakistan: PTF waiting for final confirmation from AITA

The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) on Saturday said it is still waiting for a final confirmation of players and officials from the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) to participate in the Davis Cup tie in Islamabad. The World Group 1 play-off tie is scheduled to be played at the Islamabad Sports Complex on February 3 and 4. The AITF have sent us a list of 11 officials and 7 players who will be coming to Islamabad for visa processing. But we are still waiting for their final arrival confirmation. They (AITA) have said they will send it (confirmation) once they get clearance from their government to travel to Pakistan, Saleem Saifullah, the PTF President, said. Saifullah said the list of officials and players sent by the AITA included Anil Jain, the association's president, and Anil Dhupar, its secretary. The list also includes their captain Rohit Rajpal besides seven other players, he added. On December 26, the PTI reported from New Delhi that the AITA had sought the Sports ...

AITA hopeful of getting clearance for travel to Pakistan for Davis Cup

The Indian team is likely to get clearance to travel to Pakistan for the upcoming Davis Cup tie against the neighbouring nation, the national federation said on Saturday. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) had recently written to the Sports Ministry, seeking advise if they can send the national team to Pakistan for the World Group I Play-off tie on February 3-4. "We have not yet got the approval in writing but it is likely that we will get clearance soon. We have been told that since it is not bilateral tournament and the one organised by the ITF, the government does not have a policy to interfere in such events," AITA Secretary General Anil Dhupar told PTI. "There is process involved. The sports ministry has forwarded the request to the MEA and the Home Ministry's view will also be taken before a final decision is made. We are hoping to get the clearance soon. "We are preparing for the tie and the travel," he added. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) on Saturday