The number of players in hard quarantine swelled to 72 ahead of the Australian Open after a fifth positive coronavirus test was returned from the charter flights bringing players, coaches, officials and media to Melbourne for the season-opening tennis major.
Frances Tiafoe gained momentum Sunday in his bid for another Delray Beach Open title by winning a seesaw match against fellow American Bjorn Fratangelo, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
Now that the 2020 Grand Slam season is done and Rafael Nadal is tied with Roger Federer at 20 major championships, the most for a man in tennis history, followed by Novak Djokovic at 17, some might be tempted to rekindle the conversation about which is the “Greatest of All-Time.” The truth is, everyone should just let that GOAT debate go.
Nadal equaled long-time rival Federer for the most major singles tennis championships won by a man and added to his own record at Roland Garros with No. 13 on the red clay, courtesy of a surprisingly dominant 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 victory over the No. 1-ranked Djokovic on Sunday.
With the poise of a veteran and the shots of a champion, 19-year-old Iga Swiatek picked the perfect place for her first tour-level title: the French Open.
Already the owner of a major trophy from this year’s Australian Open, the No. 4-seeded Kenin moved into the French Open final by beating No. 7 Petra Kvitova 6-4, 7-5 Thursday. Kenin will carry a 16-1 mark in Grand Slam action this season into Saturday’s championship match against Iga Swiatek of Poland.
Belgian tennis player Kirsten Flipkens injured her ankle when she landed on an advertising board during a match against Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the second round of the Abu Dhabi Open on Friday and had to retire.
Tommy Paul made the most of his home-court advantage Thursday, sweeping Ji Sung Nam of South Korea 6-1, 6-4 in the first round at the Delray Beach Open.
Top 30 tennis pro Dayana Yastremska was provisionally suspended for failing an out-of-competition doping test, the International Tennis Federation announced Thursday.
Jan. 13
Sofia Kenin opened her season Thursday by beating Yang Zhaoxuan 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open.
Daria Kasatkina and Maria Sakkari won their opening matches Wednesday as the women's tennis season began at the Abu Dhabi Open.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Australian Open chief executive Craig Tiley is reassuring players that the delayed season-opening Grand Slam tournament will get underway on Feb. 8 and has asked for patience with the logistics and quarantine planning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the 2020 men’s tennis season ended at the ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal captured a common sentiment that still holds true as the 2021 tennis season is set to begin this week.
ATP Cup champion Novak Djokovic and runner-up Rafael Nadal are set to return for the season-opening men’s team tennis event starting Feb. 1, but the United States will be missing because of a change in format that has halved the field.
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
Slovakian tennis player Dagmara Baskova was banned for 12 years on Thursday for match-fixing offenses, the Tennis Integrity Unit said.
American tennis player Sam Querrey was handed a suspended $20,000 fine by the ATP tour on Wednesday for breaching coronavirus protocols at the St. Petersburg Open in October.
As the NBA neared its restart in late July, its players vowed to keep the calls for social justice reform at the forefront in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
There were so many this year.
The BNP Paribas Open, featuring the men’s and women’s pro tennis tours, won’t be held in March as originally scheduled.
NFL
Roger Federer withdrew from the Australian Open while he continues preparing to return to action after two operations on his right knee and a tour absence that will have lasted longer than a year, his agent told The Associated Press.
Roger Federer's agent tells the AP the 20-time major champion will miss Australian Open, plans return after Melbourne.
