Federer, Nadal, Djokovic set new bar for next generations
Here is one way to look at what Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and the now-retired Roger Federer accomplished: The group known as the Big Three of men’s tennis accumulated so many Grand Slam titles that it seems unlikely anyone will reach the standards they set.
Foot pain leaves French Open champ Nadal's future uncertain
French Open champion Rafael Nadal says he needed multiple injections to dull the pain in his left foot before matches and unless he can find another solution for the chronic problem, he won’t be able to play at Wimbledon and isn’t sure about his future in tennis.
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Hobbled Daniil Medvedev limps to 3rd-round win at Miami Open
Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, walks gingerly to the net after defeating Alexei Popyrin, of Australia, during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Sunday, March 28, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)MIAMI – Daniil Medvedev could barely walk, much less run. The top-ranked Medvedev held his final two service games despite being hobbled by cramps and beat Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (3), 6-7 (7), 6-4 in the third round at the Miami Open. “Winning a Grand Slam final in straight sets doesn’t feel the way I felt after the match point today,” he said with a grin. Medvedev failed to convert three match points in the second set after taking a 5-2 lead. When Popyrin misfired on a backhand on the final point, Medvedev shuffled to the net with a smile that turned into a wince.
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Injured Djokovic advances to quarters at Australian Open
Serbia's Novak Djokovic hits a backhand return to Canada's Milos Raonic during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. For anyone curious about the severity of his injury, he put it into context after qualifying for the Australian Open quarterfinals for the 12th time. The eight-time Australian Open champion planned to spend most of the next two days recovering ahead of his quarterfinal against sixth-seeded Alexander Zverev. “If you’re here, it’s for a reason - there’s no doubt about it,” Dimitrov said after his 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 win. AdAnd not since Patrick McEnroe — John’s brother — in 1991 has a man ranked as low as 114th made it to the Australian Open quarterfinals.
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Hey, Australian Open TV viewers: Those claps aren't real
Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic smashes the ball to Taiwan's Hsieh Su-Wei in front of rows of empty seats during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. The Australian Open continues but without crowds after the Victoria state government imposed a five-day lockdown in response to a COVID-19 outbreak at a quarantine hotel. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)MELBOURNE – Hey, Australian Open TV viewers: The crowd's loud clapping and mid-match chatter you hear on the telecasts are not real. It just happened here.”Aslan Karatsev is a 27-year-old Russian who is ranked 114th and needed to go through three rounds of qualifying just to get into the main draw at the Australian Open. And not since Patrick McEnroe — John's brother — in 1991 has a man ranked as low as 114th made it to the Australian Open quarterfinals.
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Djokovic holds off Tiafoe; Venus hobbles out in Australia
Serbia's Novak Djokovic makes a forehand return to United States' Frances Tiafoe during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. 1, had never beaten anyone in the Top 5, and now he'd just won a tiebreaker against Novak Djokovic to level their second-round match at the Australian Open. So did another U.S. Open champion, Naomi Osaka, who needed only an hour to sweep Caroline Garcia 6-2, 6-3. AdFormer U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu, coming back from 15 months out with injury, became the latest top-10 player to be beaten by Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan. 11 Denis Shapovalov beat Australian qualifier Bernard Tomic 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, advancing along with two other Canadians, Milos Raonic and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
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Zverev beats Auger-Aliassime in Cologne to end title wait
COLOGNE – Alexander Zverev ended his 17-month wait for a title by drawing on the pain of his U.S. Open final defeat to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 and win the Cologne Indoors on Sunday. Zverev has said he thinks almost constantly about that final, and he credited it with raising his game in Cologne. Zverev's previous title was at the clay-court Geneva Open in May 2019 and he is now 12-8 in career finals. The second Cologne tournament was already holding qualification matches before Sunday's final in the first tournament took place. It will feature Zverev and U.S. Open quarterfinalist Denis Shapovalov, while former top-ranked player Andy Murray has withdrawn citing tendonitis.
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Thiem right at home in 1st-round win at a chilly French Open
Austria's Dominic Thiem reacts in the first round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Croatia's Marin Cilic at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Monday, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)PARIS – Dominic Thiem felt right at home in the cold of the French Open on Monday. “I love the conditions because I’m from Austria, because I know how it is in these cold conditions," Thiem said on court. “Ten, 15 degrees, I love it.”Two weeks ago, Thiem won his first major tournament at the U.S. Open in New York. Serena Williams and Nadal were to follow Thiem on Chatrier, the main court at Roland Garros.
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Thiem OK with how many of Big 3 are in US Open (hint: zero)
Dominic Thiem, of Austria, returns a shot to Felix Auger-Aliassime, of Canada, during the fourth round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, in New York. 15 Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-1 in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows. He is 0-3, losing twice to Nadal at the French Open and to Djokovic at the Australian Open this February. Thats all of his $250,000 prize money for reaching the fourth round, plus $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct and an additional $7,500 for skipping his post-match news conference. On Monday, she extended her stay in her comeback event, beating Alize Cornet 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in the fourth round.
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Pain in the neck: Djokovic gets by in 1st post-hiatus match
A trainer works on the neck of Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, during his match with Ricardas Berankis, of Lithuania, during the second round at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in New York. 1-ranked Djokovic was playing his first ATP match in six months because of the coronavirus pandemic; he pulled out of the doubles event Sunday because of his neck. That major championship's site in Flushing Meadows is hosting the Ohio-based Western & Southern Open, too, as part of an unusual doubleheader with no spectators. Like Djokovic, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka emerged with difficult wins, while two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova, the No. Djokovic now meets American Tennys Sandgren, a 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (5) winner over No.