Category Archives: Tennis

Thanasi Kokkinakis and doubles pair inspire Australia to Davis Cup win over USA

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  • Doubles pair Jordan Thompson and Matt Ebden seal victory
  • Italy or Argentina await in semi-final

Inspired captaincy, a nail-biting underdog’s win for Thanasi Kokkinakis and good old-fashioned Australian doubles pedigree has powered Australia into the semi-finals of the Davis Cup in Spain.

Lleyton Hewitt outduelled his USA counterpart Bob Bryan in the key captaincy decisions of their quarter-final tie in Málaga on Thursday as Australia defeated the Americans 2-1 in the battle between the two nations who have won the men’s “World Cup of tennis” more than any other.

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Spanish tennis star Paula Badosa apologises after being accused of racism

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  • Badosa pulled eyes back with chopsticks in photograph
  • ‘I didn’t know this was offensive. I take responsibility’

The Spanish tennis star Paula Badosa has apologised after she was accused of racism over a photo that appeared to show her pulling her eyes back with chopsticks while in China for a series of tournaments.

Following her defeat on Saturday in the semi-finals of the China Open, Badosa’s coach, Pol Toledo, posted the photo on his Instagram, tagging the official China Open account. Comments soon began pouring in, accusing Badosa of racism.

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Heartbreak for Adam Peaty on disappointing day two for Team GB

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Swimmer narrowly misses third successive Olympic gold, as Andy Murray keeps tennis alive in doubles comeback

World record-holding swimmer Adam Peaty was left in tears after being beaten to gold by the smallest of margins on a day of disappointment for Team GB at the Paris Games.

The 29-year-old had been seeking to join American legend Michael Phelps as only the second man to win three successive Olympic golds in the same discipline, but trailed Italy’s Nicolò Martinenghi by just 0.02 of a second in the men’s 100m breaststroke.

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Princess of Wales given standing ovation at Wimbledon’s Centre Court

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Catherine presents trophy to Carlos Alcaraz in second public appearance since cancer diagnosis announcement

The Princess of Wales has made her second public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis, attending an occasionally rowdy Wimbledon men’s final where she was welcomed with a standing ovation.

Catherine, who is the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, presented the men’s singles trophy to Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets. The princess attended Sunday’s final with her daughter, Princess Charlotte, and her sister, Pippa Matthews.

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Wimbledon reaches out to esports aces with video game tennis tournament

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World’s oldest grand slam breaks with tradition to host ‘eChamps’ as part of efforts to attract younger audience

From Hawk-Eye to AI, Wimbledon traditionalists have spent 20 years railing against the introduction of computer technology on the hallowed turf.

But now the oldest grand slam in tennis is experimenting with hosting a whole tournament in a virtual world.

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Alex de Minaur lays Wimbledon ghosts to rest to reach last eight for first time

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  • Australian No 1 beats France’s Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
  • Win banishes memory of losing two-set lead in 2022

The “Demon” has slain his Wimbledon demon to reach the last eight of the grass court grand slam for the first time. But Alex de Minaur now has another bad memory to exorcise. Two years after blowing a two-set lead and two match points when on the brink of reaching the quarter-finals, the No 9 seed held his nerve as a horror repeat threatened against Arthur Fils.

De Minaur put his fans on No 1 Court – and late-night television viewers back home – through the wringer as he dropped the third set but showed Aussie grit to take the fourth on his second match point. His 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win, in just shy of three hours, booked a last-eight meeting with Novak Djokovic on Wednesday (late Wednesday or early Thursday AEST).

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Club tennis ‘endangered’ as other racket sports grow, Novak Djokovic warns

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World No 2 calls for creation of foundation to protect tennis at ‘base level’ amid rise in popularity of padel and pickleball

Novak Djokovic has warned that club tennis is “endangered” amid the growing popularity of alternatives such as padel and pickleball.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion said “we are still doing a very poor job” of maintaining tennis at “the base level” and that its future was under threat.

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‘Andy Murray has changed culture of sport’: Wimbledon reflects on legacy

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Billie Jean King praises Murray for bringing ‘credibility and excitement to British tennis’ as Raducanu makes ‘tough decision’ to exit doubles partnership

The day finally came: Andy Murray has played his final match at Wimbledon. The 37-year-old Scot, Britain’s greatest postwar tennis player, had been due to contest the mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu, the shock 2021 US Open champion, yesterday evening. To say there was excitement about the pairing would be a wild understatement: fans have been coming up with portmanteau names (Raducandy, Em&M, Maducanu) ever since the unlikely team was announced on Wednesday. Roger Federer was in the stands, ready to watch.

But Em&M was not to be. “Unfortunately, I woke up with some stiffness in my right wrist,” Raducanu announced on Saturday afternoon, “so I have decided to make the very tough decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles tonight. I’m disappointed as I was really looking forward to playing with Andy, but got to take care.”

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Tennis fans queue to bid adieu to Andy Murray but cheer new British stars

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Murray is due to compete in doubles at his last Wimbledon, yet fans are also ‘pretty excited’ to see younger players

Thursday marks a changing of the guard. While for many this might mean electing a new prime minister, at Wimbledon, tens of thousands queued for a chance to bid adieu to Andy Murray and cheer on the next generation of British tennis stars.

Murray is due to compete alongside his older brother, Jamie, in the men’s doubles this week in his final Wimbledon showing. There had been hope he would play in the tournament’s singles, but he pulled out on Tuesday after being unable to sufficiently recover from the back surgery he underwent 12 days ago.

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Alexander Zverev settles assault case brought by ex-girlfriend

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German tennis player agrees deal after Brenda Patea alleged he pushed and strangled her, which he denied

The German tennis player Alexander Zverev has settled an assault case against him for allegedly pushing and strangling his then girlfriend, a charge he denied.

The deal reached between the world No 4 and his former partner Brenda Patea marks the end of a lengthy legal battle, with the Berlin court hearing the case officially declaring no verdict.

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The 1924 Paris Olympics saved the Games. Can this year’s event repeat that success? | David Goldblatt

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Faced with competition from rival sporting events, the future of the Games hung in the balance. A century on, new hurdles are looming

Paris 1924 was the sixth and last Olympics presided over by Baron de Coubertin, the modern movement’s founder. He had good reason to be pleased with his work. The French government had enthusiastically backed the enterprise, providing a budget of 20m francs and a new stadium. The Olympic rituals – the parade of nations, the rings, the oath, gold, silver and bronze medals – had been established.

Above all, the Games remained the preserve of amateur athletic gentlemen – aristocrats, college kids and military officers – performing what the baron eulogised as “a display of manly virtue”.

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Wimbledon expansion plans rejected by Wandsworth council

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Planning committee votes unanimously against All England Club’s proposals to triple size on to listed park

A London council has rejected plans to build a new 8,000-seat stadium and 38 further tennis courts on a Grade II*-listed park in Wimbledon.

Wandsworth council’s planning committee on Tuesday night voted unanimously to reject the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s plans to almost triple the size of the tennis championship grounds from 17 hectares (42 acres) to 46 hectares.

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New headsets bring Wimbledon to life for visually impaired fans

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Device trialled at tournament captures images with camera and projects them into sight line

Rosie Pybus has been to Wimbledon several times and watched her first tennis match this year, thanks to a headset for visually impaired people. She told of the “exhilarating” moment she tested the innovative device, which allows users to watch live action from the stands.

Visually impaired tennis fans at SW19 have been trialling the headsets, which capture images with a camera and project them into a person’s sight line. Users can adjust the images with a remote control.

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Andy Murray suggests loss to Tsitsipas may be his last Wimbledon match

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Emotional two-time champion says he doesn’t know if he will be back and ‘motivation is obviously a big thing’

An emotional Andy Murray hinted that he may have played his last Wimbledon match after his hopes of reaching the third round were dashed on Friday.

The two-time champion spoke of his disappointment after he was defeated by Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, the fifth seed, in five sets as the temperature soared to 29C.

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Chris O’Connell is last Australian standing at Wimbledon after De Minaur and Kuber go out

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  • Sydneysider now faces American Chris Eubanks
  • Australian No 1 blown away by Italy’s Matteo Berrettini

Chris O’Connell is Australia’s last player standing at Wimbledon after he reached the third round of an overseas grand slam for the first time.

O’Connell, who also battled through to the third round of his home Open in Melbourne last year, was in inspired mood on his fourth successive day on court as he defeated dangerous Czech left-hander Jiri Vesely 6-3 7-5 6-4.

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Novak Djokovic defiant despite warning not to repeat political message

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  • French sports minister insists on ‘neutrality’ at Roland Garros
  • ‘I would say it again,’ says Serbian world No 3

Novak Djokovic has insisted that he would not hesitate to opine on Kosovo and the clashes between Kosovo authorities and ethnic Serbs again, even as the backlash to his comments continues to grow.

“I don’t mind saying that. I mean, I would say it again,” Djokovic said. “But I don’t need to because you have my quotes if you want to reflect on that. Of course I’m aware that a lot of people would disagree, but it is what it is. It’s something that I stand for.”

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Elina Svitolina advocates for Ukraine on spectacular return

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  • Svitolina beats Martina Trevisan 6-2, 6-2
  • ‘These moments bring joy to people of Ukraine’

Sixteen months since Elina Svitolina last competed in a grand slam tournament, the Australian Open, life has changed significantly. She is now a mother, having taken maternity leave from the tour before giving birth to her first child, Skaï, with her husband, Gaël Monfils. Her country, Ukraine, has been invaded by Russia. She spent much of her time away from the sport, including during her pregnancy, advocating for her country’s cause.

On the court, however, not too much has changed. Svitolina returned to the French Open with a spectacular performance, dismantling the 26th seed, Martina Trevisan, a semi-finalist last year, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the second round. Trevisan is Svitolina’s first top‑30 win of her comeback.

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Nick Kyrgios’s Tesla allegedly stolen from mother at gunpoint – tennis star uses app to track car for police

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Officers chase bright green vehicle after gunman raided the sportsman’s family home in Canberra, Australia, court documents say

Tennis star Nick Kyrgios helped police by using a phone app to remotely track his Tesla after it was stolen from his mother at gunpoint on Monday morning.

Kygrios was inside his family’s Canberra home about 8.30am when a masked man wearing all black knocked on the front door, describing himself as “Chris”.

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Boris Becker: UK prison sentence was ‘brutal’ experience

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Three-times Wimbledon champion describes eight months in jail as ‘very, very different experience to what you see in the movies’

Boris Becker has spoken of his “brutal” prison experience in the UK, adding that during his incarceration he had to surround himself with “tough boys” for protection.

The three-times Wimbledon men’s singles champion served eight months of his two-and-a-half-year sentence for hiding £2.5m of assets and loans in a bankruptcy fraud case. He was released from prison in December and deported from the UK.

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Elena Rybakina overwhelms world No 1 Iga Swiatek to set up Indian Wells final with Aryna Sabalenka

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  • Kazakhstan’s Rybakina beats Swiatek 6-2, 6-2 in semi-final
  • Belarusian Sabalenka cruises past Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3

Elena Rybakina has knocked out defending champion Iga Swiatek with a 6-2, 6-2 semi-final victory at Indian Wells on Friday to set up a clash against Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Two months after Rybakina knocked Swiatek out of the Australian Open in the fourth round, the Wimbledon champion once again put in an impressive display against the world No 1.

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