Tearful Naomi Osaka questions future after US Open loss to Leylah Fernandez

  • Osaka says she will take a break ‘for a while’ after stunning loss
  • Fernandez earns career-best 5-7, 6-7 (2), 6-4 win in third round

Naomi Osaka’s defense of her US Open championship is in tatters and her immediate future on the women’s professional tennis tour in doubt after a shocking third-round defeat to the unseeded Leylah Annie Fernandez, a Canadian teenager ranked 74th in the world.

The third-seeded Osaka, a four-time major champion and the best hard-court player in the world by some distance, lost her composure while serving for the match, came apart during the ensuing tiebreaker and couldn’t right the ship in the third during a 5-7, 6-7 (2), 6-4 loss in 2hr 4min on Friday night.

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Naomi Osaka in tears during first press conference since French Open

  • Reporter accused Osaka of using media when it suits her
  • Osaka: ‘I’m figuring it out at the same time as you are’

Naomi Osaka broke down in tears in her first press conference since withdrawing from the French Open for mental health reasons. The four-times grand slam champion pulled out of Roland Garros on 31 May after being threatened with expulsion over refusing to fulfil media duties.

The 23-year-old missed Wimbledon but returned to action for the Olympics in her native Japan, and agreed to take part in her first press conference in almost three months on Monday.

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Novak Djokovic wins sixth Wimbledon title after battle with Matteo Berrettini

  • Serb takes his 20th tennis major title 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
  • Victory leaves Djokovic needing US Open for grand slam

Novak Djokovic has never been afraid to speak out his ambitions for the world to hear. That was true when he was a novice on the tour and to many his self-confidence was misplaced, and it has maintained deep into his 30s as he has chased down the singular goal of becoming the greatest player of his time, making no secret of what he thought he could achieve.

Over the past 13 and a half years since his marathon began with his first major title, so much of what Djokovic has meticulously planned for has and continues to be realised. On Sunday, he took one of the biggest steps of his career, recovering from a set down against a valiant Matteo Berrettini to win 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 and clinch his men’s record-equalling 20th grand slam title.

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Novak Djokovic rallies to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in epic French Open final

  • Djokovic wins 6-7 (8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
  • Serb claims his 19th grand slam title with Paris win

After the sheer willpower and strength it took to topple Rafael Nadal on his surface and his court on Friday, Novak Djokovic was charged with returning to the scene two days later and summoning his prime form once more against the second-best clay‑courter of the season.

For a fair amount of time during this match it was reasonable to ask if this was a challenge too far, as his own waning energy and the force that is Stefanos Tsitsipas combined to create a two-set deficit for the Serb. Instead, Djokovic pulled off the type of manic recovery he has made look routine for over a decade, recovering to force five sets and eventually defeat Tsitsipas 6-7 (6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 and win his second French Open title.

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Andy Murray: ‘Don’t be sad for me! I like doing this – no one’s forcing me to play’

It’s been a tumultuous five years for Andy Murray: countless injuries, a new metal hip, four children and a bout of Covid. Can the former world No 1 really battle his way back to brilliance at Wimbledon?

Is he or isn’t he? One minute Andy Murray, one of Britain’s greatest living athletes, tells me he’ll be back on the court at Wimbledon this month, playing well in the tournament that made his name. And the next, he doesn’t sound so sure. “The test is being on court with the best players,” he says in a break in training, “and that’s something that, right this second, is difficult to give a definitive answer to.”

The joy of sport is its unpredictability, but Murray’s not talking about that. His body has been through such immense stress and strain – throughout his career, but especially over the past few years – that he can’t rely on it. He genuinely doesn’t know what it can do.

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‘Courageous’: Japanese athletes and sponsors voice support for Naomi Osaka

Messages flood in after tennis player withdraws from French Open saying press conferences worsen her anxiety and depression

Athletes and sponsors in Naomi Osaka’s native Japan have joined much of the tennis world in rallying behind the player after she withdrew from the French Open, citing struggles with anxiety and depression.

The Japanese world No 2 left the grand slam tournament on Monday, days after she had been fined and threatened with expulsion for refusing to attend press conferences, saying she needed to protect her mental wellbeing.

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Naomi Osaka withdraws from French Open amid row over press conferences

  • World No 2 pulls out of event after being fined by organisers
  • Osaka says speaking to press causes her ‘huge anxiety’

Naomi Osaka has announced her withdrawal from Roland Garros one day after she was fined $15,000 by the French Open and warned that she could face expulsion from the tournament following her decision not to speak with the press during the tournament.

Osaka, 23, who won her first match against Patricia Maria Tig and was scheduled to face Ana Bogdan in the second round, had released a statement last Wednesday stating her intention to skip her media obligations during Roland Garros because of the effects of her interactions with the press on her mental health.

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Vaccine volley: debate rages over ambivalence of tennis professionals

The ATP and WTA support Covid-19 vaccination but some players have shrugged their shoulders as they would have to remain in tournament bubbles regardless

As the Miami Open marched towards its climax, one of the many off-court discussions that have raged on during the event is the simple question of the sport’s attitude towards vaccination during the pandemic. Players were asked during the week about their stance, and a trend of ambivalence became clear.

For Andrey Rublev, the Russian world No 8, vaccination would make little difference to him as he would still have to remain in the tournament bubbles: “I don’t know,” Rublev said. “There is no reason. Just – I don’t know. Just by the feelings, because I never have any vaccine since I was a kid, so I don’t know. I feel OK with this way. I never had any problems with my health.”

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Back in the swing and the swim: England returns to outdoor sport – in pictures

From pools and lidos to tennis courts and golf courses, it has been an action-packed day around England as lockdown regulations are relaxed to allow outdoor sporting activity. People will now be able to meet up legally outside in groups of six or two households and organised outdoor sport can resume

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Australian Open 2021 day nine: Hsieh Su-wei v Naomi Osaka – live!

First set: Hsieh Su-wei 1-2 Naomi Osaka* (denotes server) Osaka holds again without too much ado, to love, and we’re still on serve early on this opening set. Remember, Osaka has the edge on head-to-heads: the Japanese leads 4-1 in the pair’s previous five meetings. But, the results mask how close those matches were.

First set: Hsieh Su-wei* 1-1 Naomi Osaka (denotes server) Hsieh, who has never before been this deep at a grand slam, is known for her unpredictability and she throws up a bit of funky stuff on her first service game today. All good for the Tawainese so far.

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Australian Open gets green light for 30,000 a day as WA loosens border restrictions

WA premier Mark McGowan says travellers from Queensland and Victoria will no longer have to quarantine upon arrival

Crowds at this year’s Australian Open will be capped at half the pre-Covid average, after Victoria’s top health official signed off on allowing up to 30,000 spectators to attend the start of the tournament next month.

On Saturday, Victoria’s sports minister, Martin Pakula, confirmed the government had agreed to a plan that would allow daily crowd capacity of 30,000 for the first eight days of the tournament, reducing to 25,000 per day from the start of the tournament quarter-finals.

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Australian Open records fourth Covid case as tennis player warned for breaking quarantine rules

Authorities say player ‘opened his door’ to have conversation with friends as players in strict isolation say they risk injury if not allowed to train

An Australian Open tennis player has been warned for breaching strict isolation rules by “opening his door” to talk to his friends, as players complain about “insane” quarantine requirements ahead of the tournament.

Four people have now tested positive for Covid-19 on charter planes bringing players in for the competition, which has forced 47 players into strict isolation where they cannot train for 14 days.

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US tennis player Tennys Sandgren flying to Australian Open despite positive Covid test

The American says he first tested positive in November and tournament organisers argue he is therefore not infectious

The US tennis player Tennys Sandgren is bound for Melbourne after Tennis Australia reportedly intervened so he could board a charter flight despite testing positive for coronavirus.

In a series of tweets on Thursday, Australian time, Sandgren initially suggested he would not be able to board the flight for the Australian Open, writing “Covid positive over thanksgiving” and “Covid positive on Monday”.

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Rafael Nadal demolishes Novak Djokovic to win 13th French Open title

  • World No 2 thrashes No 1 seed 6-0, 6-2, 7-5
  • Spaniard equals Roger Federer’s haul of 20 grand slam titles

Novak Djokovic drove Rafael Nadal to almost unprecedented heights of excellence but was powerless to stop his old rival winning his 13th French Open and the 20th major he needed to match the record of their absent friend, Roger Federer.

Nadal’s 100th win at Roland Garros was almost flawless – 6-0, 6-1, 7-5 in two hours and 41 minutes in front of a drastically reduced audience because of the pandemic at a rescheduled grand slam under a new roof at Court Philippe Chatrier – yet it was a final of rolling contradictions, too.

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Novak Djokovic disqualified from US Open after hitting line judge with ball

  • Title favourite defaulted during first set after losing serve
  • Player dismissed after discussions with tournament officials

Novak Djokovic was thrown out of the US Open in sensational circumstances on Sunday night when he inadvertently struck a line judge with a dead ball towards the end of the first set of his fourth-round match against the Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta.

The world No 1, who appeared to hit the ball away casually and with no great force, was distraught as he comforted the woman after she had collapsed in a coughing fit holding her throat. He then engaged in a fruitless 10-minute discussion on court with the tournament referee, Soeren Friemel.

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Novak Djokovic will decide whether to join US Open exodus in ‘next few days’

  • If world No 1 withdraws he will join absentees Nadal and Federer
  • Non-US players unsure on quarantine rules when heading home

Novak Djokovic will decide “in the next few days” whether or not to join the US Open champion Rafael Nadal in withdrawing from this month’s tournament.

If the world No 1 pulls out, the tournament, due to start on 31 August, will be considerably weakened, given five-times champion Roger Federer is resting after a second knee operation and several other leading players in both draws have withdrawn or expressed reservations about travelling to New York, with women’s world No 30 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova the latest player to join the list of absentees.

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Rafael Nadal withdraws from US Open citing Covid concerns as Madrid Open cancelled

  • Reigning champion pulls out of tournament due to pandemic
  • Madrid Open had already been moved from May

Defending champion Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the US Open citing concerns over coronavirus. The four-time winner at Flushing Meadows does not want to travel to the United States while Covid-19 cases are on the rise.

He joins women’s world number one Ashleigh Barty in pulling out of the tournament due to the treat of coronavirus.

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Khololwam Montsi: ‘If you come from Africa and make it, you’re someone big’

The 17-year-old South African tennis star on climbing the world rankings, meeting Nick Kyrgios and finding his self-belief

Khololwam Montsi has always been a dreamer. Before he had ever entered a tennis tournament, he was imagining himself winning Wimbledon. In lieu of any role models or a path trodden before them, dreams are what black African tennis players have. They are to be held on to and guarded. So when people have attempted to tread on Montsi’s aspirations, questioning whether a 5ft 5in player like him can succeed, he simply used it as further motivation.

“Me wanting to prove people wrong, I was like: ‘OK, I’m gonna do this thing and I’m gonna work hard every day. I’m gonna beat everyone that I can,’” he says. “If I lose, I lose, I go back to the drawing board. But I’m on a mission, really.”

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Novak Djokovic tests positive for Covid-19 amid Adria Tour fallout

  • World No 1 becomes fourth player to test positive
  • Dimitrov, Coric and Troicki revealed other positive tests

Novak Djokovic, the men’s world No 1 tennis player, has tested positive for Covid-19, the Serbian said in a statement on Tuesday.

Croatia’s Borna Coric, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria and Viktor Troicki have previously tested positive after playing in Djokovic’s Adria Tour exhibition tournament in the Balkan region.

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Australian Open 2020: day two – live!

Second set: Pliskova* 6-1 3-3 Mladenovic (*denotes server): Pliskova holds to love in the time it took me post a tweet and confirm who Sinner faces in the second round.

Shame to see Max Purcell bow out so early, but Jannik Sinner is a kid going places. The Next Gen Finals champ has Márton Fucsovics next.

Italian @janniksin wins his first ever #AusOpen match!

He def. Aussie qualifier Max Purcell 7-6(2) 6-2 6-4 #AO2020 pic.twitter.com/KOZj4JHAJq

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