Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Five years have passed since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made his dazzling run to the final of the Australian Open at the age of 22.
The top seed stayed clothed after beating Tomas Berdych 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 Tuesday to reach the semifinals in about half the time it took him to win his previous match against Stanislas Wawrinka, which prompted a shirt-ripping celebration.
His heavily tattoed arms include one in Japanese that says, "Beauty Will Save the World."
Lleyton Hewitt's record 17th consecutive Australian Open campaign ended in a 7-6 (4), 7-5, 6-3 first-round loss to eighth-seeded Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia on Monday night.
Novak Djokovic didn't have any trouble in his first match back on Rod Laver Arena since his shirt-ripping victory celebrations last year, starting his bid for a third consecutive Australian Open title with a 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 win Monday over France's Paul-Henri Mathieu.
The No. 1-ranked is hoping his opener against Paul-Henri Mathieu is the first of seven matches this month at the venue where he's had the most success in Grand Slam tennis. His five-set, 5-hour, 53-minute win over Rafael Nadal in the final last year has already been written into Australian Open folklore, and followed his titles at Melbourne Park in 2008 and 2011.
Novak Djokovic shelved the conventional preparations for a while, warming up for a shot at a third consecutive Australian title with a bit of weekend hit-and-giggle and a Gangnam Style dance with Serena Williams.
Tommy Haas has become the fourth still-active tennis player to win 500 matches on the ATP Tour, joining Roger Federer (871), Rafael Nadal (583) and Lleyton Hewitt (566).
No. 4 seed David Ferrer saved five set points in a first-set tiebreaker Sunday and went on to defeat 2001 champion Lleyton Hewitt 7-6 (9), 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the third round of the U.S. Open.
David Nalbandian pulled out of the U.S. Open because of an injury on Tuesday, a day before he was scheduled to play 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro in an all-Argentine matchup in the first round of singles.
Lleyton Hewitt and James Blake will receive wild cards into the U.S. Open.
Four-time Olympian Venus Williams walked off Wimbledon's cozy Court 2 gleefully waving her fist as fans chanted, "U-S-A! U-S-A!"
The boys from Down Under are down and out at Wimbledon.
Wimbledon is considering a calendar change that would have the tournament begin three weeks after the French Open instead of two, and top players like the idea of more time between the two Grand Slam events.
The men from Down Under are down and out at Wimbledon.
After going more than a year without a coach, the Frenchman hired Roger Rasheed _ the former coach of Gael Monfils and Lleyton Hewitt _ a few months ago and said the impact has been immediate.
"To his credit, he raised his level and played some great points," Hewitt said of Tipsarevic.
