Australian Open (Tennis)
Novak Djokovic Returns to the Australian Open, No Longer a Villain
MELBOURNE, Australia — It was the day before the Australian Open, and the Park Hotel in Melbourne’s Carlton neighborhood was closed with only the occasional pedestrian passing in front of the dusty, deserted entrance on a sedate Sunday. Quite a different scene than last year, when Novak Djokovic, the world’s No. 1 tennis player, was […]
Know More
Nick Kyrgios Is Coming for Tennis
MELBOURNE, Australia — Nick Kyrgios is finally home. He is in Australia, with his people and in the place he longs for during all those homesick months living out of a suitcase on the professional tennis road. For months, he soaked up the sun and trained in Sydney. But he also squeezed in a bit […]
Know More
With the Australian Open Set to Begin, All Eyes Are on Rafael Nadal
MELBOURNE, Australia — The first collective gasp of this year’s Australian Open came Thursday afternoon, four days before the tournament officially begins. The hubbub came at the start of the men’s singles draw when Jack Draper’s name appeared in the second slot in the 128-man field. That meant Draper’s first-round opponent was guaranteed to be […]
Know More
No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, Just 25, Retiring From Tennis
At the top of her sport, Ashleigh Barty is retiring from tennis. In a stunning move, Barty, the No. 1-ranked women’s player who won her country’s major tournament, the Australian Open, in January, announced on Wednesday that she was leaving tennis for other pursuits. “It was hard,” she said of her decision. “But it’s right […]
Know More
Djokovic Willing to Miss Grand Slam Tournaments to Stay Unvaccinated
It should not come as a revelation at this stage, but Novak Djokovic is not backing down. Not after all the drains on his energy and blows to his image. Not after twice being detained in Melbourne, Australia, last month. Not after his deportation from that country on the eve of the year’s first Grand […]
Know More
Rafael Nadal Wins the Australian Open, His 21st Grand Slam Title
Nadal made certain of that. “This has been one of the most emotional nights of my tennis career,” he told the cheering crowd, and later said: “If we put everything together, the scenario, the momentum, what it means. Yeah, without a doubt probably have been the biggest comeback of my tennis career.” Nadal, 35, returned […]
Know More
Ashleigh Barty Wins Australian Open Women’s Singles Title
MELBOURNE, Australia — The 44-year drought was over in Ashleigh Barty’s sunburned country. Barty, often inscrutable on a tennis court, had just finished letting her guard down with a full-flex howl of delight that could almost be heard above the roars in Rod Laver Arena. Now, Barty, Australia’s first Australian Open singles champion since 1978, […]
Know More
Australian Open Final Four: It’s Nadal vs. Berrettini and Medvedev vs. Tsitsipas
MELBOURNE, Australia — None of the men’s singles semifinalists at the Australian Open has made it this far unscathed. All have been pushed to five sets in the heat at Melbourne Park this year. Rafael Nadal, making his latest comeback, dropped more than 10 pounds and had to battle through nausea and dizziness during his […]
Know More
Rafael Nadal Beats Denis Shapovalov Amid Charge of Favoritism
MELBOURNE, Australia — After missing the game he has long played with such passion, Rafael Nadal has had ample opportunity to get reacquainted with tennis at this Australian Open. At age 35, his latest comeback from injury now finds him in the semifinals, just two victories from breaking his three-way tie with Novak Djokovic and […]
Know More