Category: Tennis

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ROGER FEDERER OUT OF AUSTRALIAN OPEN AND UNLIKELY TO BE FIT FOR WIMBLEDON

Roger Federer has confirmed he will not feature in next year’s Australian Open – and says he would be “extremely surprised” if he plays at Wimbledon.

In an interview with Swiss publication Le Matin, the 40-year-old added that he does not anticipate returning to competition until next summer.

The 20-time grand slam winner is recovering from a series of knee operations.

Federer, who has not played since he lost his quarter-final match against Hubert Hurkacz at Wimbledon on July 7, said: “I will be able to resume running quietly in January and resume sessions on the court with complex support in March or April.

“Today, I therefore estimate my return to competition in the summer of 2022. I would be extremely surprised if I could play Wimbledon.”

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US Open: Medvedev reaches third straight semi-final, to face Auger-Aliassime

Daniil Medvedev, who lost in the semi-finals a year ago to eventual winner Dominic Thiem, is one of the main candidates aiming to thwart Novak Djokovic’s bid for a calendar Grand Slam.

World number two Daniil Medvedev dropped his first set at this year’s U.S. Open but eventually overcame Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 to reach his third straight semi-final at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday.

Van de Zandschulp had enjoyed a remarkable run, taking down 11th seed Diego Schwartzman to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final, where he fired off 20 forehand winners and was the first player here to take Medvedev past the two-hour mark.

The Dutch qualifier outlasted the Russian in a 20-shot rally and then converted on break point in the fifth game of the third set before taking it on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the first sign of weakness Medvedev had shown since arriving in New York.

But the 2019 runner-up, who fired down 13 aces in the match, came roaring back in the fourth set, winning all but two of his first-serve points and never facing a break point.

Van de Zandschulp fended off match point in the 10th game, holding his serve to wild applause from a rowdy New York crowd, but Medvedev responded with a quick hold and a break, helped by a double fault from the Dutchman.

The match was the first real challenge of the tournament for Medvedev, who looked on track to flatten yet another competitor at the start after getting up two breaks through the first five games.

The Australian Open runner-up never faced a break point in the second set, which he wrapped up in a brisk 22 minutes, but struggled in the third set, making 13 unforced errors, and van de Zandschulp pounced.

“First two sets were kind of under control. He was missing some balls, some important points,” said Medvedev. “Then third and fourth set was really tough. He played top level, served really big.

“Was breaking the rhythm a little bit, so was really tough set. I’m really happy that in the fourth I managed to, first of all, hold my serve really easily and managed to break him in the end where I had few opportunities to do before also.”

Medvedev, who lost in the semi-finals a year ago to eventual winner Dominic Thiem, is one of the main candidates aiming to thwart world number one Novak Djokovic’s bid for a calendar Grand Slam – though he is not thinking about facing the 20-times major winner just yet.

“I don’t think about him, because as we saw, anybody can beat anybody. If he’s in the final, and if I’m there, I’m happy,” said Medvedev. He’s also happy, I guess.”

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Novak Djokovic reaches US Open third round despite rowdy spectator

World number one Novak Djokovic insisted he was not acting like a “spoiled brat” after complaining about a noisy spectator during his routine second-round win over Tallon Griekspoor at the US Open.

The Serbian’s quest for a calendar grand slam rarely looked like being derailed after posting a 6-2 6-3 6-2 win over the Dutchman on Arthur Ashe Stadium, even if a fan tried his best.

A rowdy spectator sat courtside was intent on trying to put Djokovic off, shouting right before he attempted an overhead smash, which was subsequently missed.

He continued to call out at key moments, which led the 20-time grand slam champion to complain to the umpire.

But Djokovic said: “When tennis players talk about that, someone who is watching team sports would say, ‘What a spoiled brat’.

“But it’s a different sport. Look, there’s a lot of noise happening on the stadium, particularly in the night sessions. I don’t mind that.

“Even sometimes during the point it happens that people out of excitement, they just scream or they release like a sound or whatever, sigh, whatever you call it. And that’s fine.

“But if someone intentionally does it over and over again, then I have tolerance up to a certain point, then it’s not correct, then it’s not fine. It’s not fair. I feel like it’s not good for us players.

“I mean, particularly that guy for some reason was calling, raising the sound and kind of screaming just before I would hit my smash, which was a big point. Before that he would do a few times. After that again.

“That wasn’t nice. That’s all. I don’t mind the noise. Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s important for the entertainment, for the crowds, the music.

“I get it. But if someone does it over and over again, particularly when you are at his side, he knows why he’s doing it.

“The guy that I pointed out, he knew exactly what he was doing, and that’s all.”

Djokovic is aiming to add the US Open to his 2021 collection of Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles and will next face Kei Nishikori.

The Japanese, who last beat Djokovic in 2014 on his way to the final at Flushing Meadows, needed five sets to beat American Mackenzie McDonald.

Alexander Zverev reached the third round in ruthless fashion as he swept past Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

The fourth seed needed just an hour and 14 minutes to record a 6-1 6-0 6-3 win over his beleaguered Spanish opponent and make it 13 victories in a row.

Zverev, who appears the biggest obstacle to Novak Djokovic’s hopes of clinching the calendar Grand Slam, is riding a golden wave following his Olympic triumph and lost just nine points on serve in the match.

The German reached his first slam final at Flushing Meadows last year and led Dominic Thiem by two sets to love before the Austrian somehow found a way back.

“It was painful,” said Zverev. “I still remember it every single time I walk on this court but I take it as motivation because I’m back here, I have the opportunity to do better, I have the opportunity to hopefully play a great tournament, hopefully play for a grand slam title.”

Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini did not have things all his own way against Frenchman Corentin Moutet but came through 7-6 (2) 4-6 6-4 6-3 while 22nd seed Reilly Opelka was a 7-6 (1) 7-5 6-4 winner over young Italian Lorenzo Musetti.

There was a shock on Court Five, where veteran Italian Andreas Seppi, playing in an 18th consecutive US Open, defeated 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz 2-6 6-4 6-4 7-6 (6).

Seventh seed Denis Shapovalov made light work of Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena, winning 7-6 (5) 6-3 6-0.

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ROGER FEDERER OUT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER FURTHER KNEE SURGERY

Roger Federer has revealed he faces “many months” out of the game as he prepares to undergo further knee surgery.

The 40-year-old, who missed the Tokyo Olympics with a knee injury after losing in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, said he had opted for another operation to give himself “a glimmer of hope” of returning to competition.

“I’ll be on crutches for many weeks and also out of the game for many months,” he said in a video on Instagram on Sunday evening.

Federer, who will miss the upcoming US Open, said: “I just wanted to give you a bit of an update about what’s been going on since Wimbledon, as you can imagine it’s not been simple.

“I’ve been doing a lot of checks with the doctors as well on my knee, getting all the information as I hurt myself further during the grass court season in Wimbledon and it’s just not the way to go forward.

“Unfortunately for the medium to long term to feel better I will need surgery so I decided to do it.”

The former world number one, who has won a joint record 20 grand slam titles with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, admitted he did not know whether he would be able to return to top-level tennis, only that his desire to come back to the tour remained.

He added: “It’s going to be difficult of course in some ways, but at the same time I know it’s the right thing to do because I want to be healthy, I want to be running around later as well again and I want to give myself a glimmer of hope to return to the tour in some shape or form.

“I am realistic. Don’t get me wrong, I know how difficult it is at this age to do another surgery and try it. I want to be healthy, I will go through the rehab process I think also with a goal, while I’m still active, which I think is going to help me during this long period of time.

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TOKYO OLYMPICS: ANDY MURRAY FORCED TO WITHDRAW FROM MEN’S SINGLES DUE TO THIGH STRAIN

Andy Murray’s bid for a third straight Olympic singles gold medal ended before it began when he withdrew ahead of his first match with a minor thigh strain.

The Scot had been due to take on ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada on Sunday but was replaced on the order of play by Australian Max Purcell.

Murray had been upbeat about his prospects after an excellent doubles victory with Joe Salisbury on Saturday but experienced tightness in his quad muscle and was advised not to try to compete in both events.

Murray and Salisbury’s form on Saturday, when they defeated French Open champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, suggested they could be medal contenders.

The three-time grand slam champion said: “I am really disappointed at having to withdraw but the medical staff have advised me against playing in both events, so I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the singles and focus on playing doubles with Joe.”

Murray is the only tennis player ever to win back-to-back singles gold medals, and it appears highly likely his last chance to add to that haul has now gone.

Speaking after his doubles victory on Saturday, Murray had said: “I do like the conditions here in terms of how the court plays and everything.

“Obviously not an easy one against Felix but I’ve played well in the practice sets and the practice matches that I’ve had and obviously today was a good one for the confidence. I think I’ll be all right.”

But this is yet another physical setback for the Scot, who has been unable to play consistently since his comeback from hip resurfacing surgery two and a half years ago.

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TOKYO 2020: NAOMI OSAKA EASES INTO THIRD ROUND

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Tennis - Women's Singles - Round 3 - Ariake Tennis Park - Tokyo, Japan - July 27, 2021. Naomi Osaka of Japan reacts during her third round match against Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic REUTERS/Mike Segar

Naomi Osaka continued her pursuit of a historic gold medal by easing into the third round of the Olympic singles competition at the Ariake Tennis Park.

The Japanese star won her first match in eight weeks against Zheng Saisai on Sunday, saying she felt refreshed and happy after stepping away from the court for mental health reasons.

There were a few understandable signs of rust but Osaka, who is hoping to follow up her starring role at the opening ceremony with a first gold medal for Japan in tennis, was very sharp in a 6-3 6-2 victory over Swiss Wimbledon quarter-finalist Viktorija Golubic on Monday.

The 23-year-old, who has only lost one of her last 24 matches on hard courts, said: “It would mean a lot to win gold here but I know it’s a process. I know these are the best players in the world and, honestly, I haven’t played in a while, so I’m trying to take it one notch at a time.

“All in all, I’m just really happy to be here. I haven’t been in Tokyo for a couple of years.”

Osaka did not play a match between the first round of the French Open in May and Sunday’s victory but she has shown before she can find her best tennis straight off the bat, going unbeaten between February 2020 and March this year while playing just four tournaments.

“I put this pressure on myself to do well because I know that I don’t play that many tournaments and I feel like I watched these players playing the tournaments while I was on my break so I just really, really want to do well,” she said.

“I feel like as long as I work hard, relatively keep my head down, then good things will happen. For me, it’s dream to be here, to play the Olympics. This is my first one, so I’m just trying to cherish this experience.”

On her performance against Golubic, Osaka said: “I was a bit more nervous before the match. I felt a lot of butterflies. But I think, as I started playing and feeling more comfortable, I knew that no matter what it would be a great match. I feel like I played better today, I think my movement was better.”

It was a good day for the big names, with Garbine Muguruza beating Wang Qiang 6-3 6-0, French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova seeing off Leylah Fernandez 6-2 6-4 and Maria Sakkari racing past Nina Stojanovic 6-1 6-2.

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AUSTRALIAN ASHLEIGH BARTY WINS WIMBLEDON TITLE AFTER 40 YEARS WAIT FOR COUNTRY

Ashleigh Barty overcame her own nerves and opponent Karolina Pliskova to end Australia’s four-decade long wait for a Wimbledon women’s singles champion.

With both women playing in their first final at the All England Club, it was no surprise there was tension on both sides of the court, but Centre Court was treated to a first three-set final since 2012, which ended with the world number one winning a second grand slam title.

Barty’s 6-3 6-7 (4) 6-3 victory saw her emulate friend and mentor Evonne Goolagong Cawley 50 years on from her first Wimbledon title while wearing an outfit inspired by that moment.

Barty started at breakneck speed, winning the first 14 points of the match to race into a 4-0 lead.

Czech Pliskova finally got on the board with a break to love to settle some nerves, but Barty clinched the opening set 6-3 in just 28 minutes.

Back-to-back double faults from Pliskova gave Barty a break for 2-1 at the start of the second set.

But the world number 13 hit back with a scorching forehand pass to bring up break point and level the set.

Barty came from 40-0 down to break in the 11th game, but nerves got the better of her as she served for the match, allowing Pliskova to force a tie-break.

And Pliskova delighted the crowd by taking the breaker 7-4 and levelling the match.

After digging herself out one hole, Pliskova dived into another with a double fault and a volley into the net, handing Barty the break in the decider.

This time she had run out of lives, Barty saving a break point before going on to wrap up victory.

Following the well-worn tradition started by fellow Australian Pat Cash in 1987, an emotional Barty climbed into the stands to hug her team, including coach Craig Tyzzer.

The trophies were presented by Kate Middleton, who was attending the match after completing a period of self-isolation.

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NOVAK DJOKOVIC EASES PAST MARTON FUCSOVICS TO REACH 10TH WIMBLEDON SEMI-FINAL

Novak Djokovic marched into his 10th Wimbledon semi-final after a straight-sets win over Marton Fucsovics on Centre Court.

The five-time champion, looking to claim a record-equalling 20th grand slam title this weekend, swept aside unseeded Fucsovics 6-3 6-4 6-4.

It was not the most convincing display from the world number one but, as has been the case throughout these Championships so far, it did not really have to be.

Djokovic has still only dropped one set, against Britain’s Jack Draper in the first round, and he remains firmly on course to become only the fourth man to win three consecutive Wimbledon titles alongside Roger Federer, Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras.

Things looked ominous for Fucsovics when Djokovic raced into a 5-0 lead and brought up two set points inside the first 25 minutes.

But the underdog fended those off to finally get a game on the board and, amid plenty of encouragement from the crowd, managed to break in the next, only the fourth time Djokovic had dropped serve in the entire tournament.

Fucsovics, the first Hungarian man to reach the last eight of a grand slam in 40 years, has a similar playing style to Djokovic and easily matches up with the Serbian on the fitness front.

Having surrendered the first set, the 29-year-old stayed with Djokovic until 4-4 in the second when one of too many forehand errors gave away a break point which the top seed devoured.

A backhand return winner brought Djokovic another break at the start of the third and he fended off four break points among some punishing rallies to wrap up another routine win.

“I think it was a solid performance,” he said. “I started extremely well, did not do too many things wrong in the first five or six games.

“One break of serve in the second and third sets was enough and credit to Marton for hanging in there. He had a great tournament.

“Going for history is a huge inspiration to me – let’s keep it going.”

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WIMBLEDON: SHAPOVALOV REACHES SEMI-FINALS AS HUKACZ STUNS FEDERER

DENIS SHAPOVALOV (CAN) TENNIS - THE CHAMPIONSHIPS - WIMBLEDON - ALL ENGLAND LAWN TENNIS AND CROQUET CLUB - ATP - WTA - ITF - WIMBLEDON - SW19 - LONDON - GREAT BRITAIN - 2021 © TENNIS PHOTO NETWORK

Denis Shapovalov showed he is ready to challenge for the Wimbledon title by booking his first grand slam semi-final with a five-set win over Karen Khachanov.

The Canadian won the boys’ crown in 2016 and is giving himself the best chance of replicating that in the men’s draw with an epic 6-4 3-6 5-7 6-1 6-4 victory over the Russian.

His biggest test is now to come as he faces world number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic in the last four on Friday.

But the 22-year-old proved he belongs on the biggest stage, coming from two sets to one down with his trademark flamboyance, and is likely to be a contender at this tournament for years to come.

He is one of two men who made it through to the last eight that have won the junior title.

So it only seemed a matter of time until he made an impact in the men’s draw and had got to this point playing some eye-catching tennis, which he brought on to Court One.

He forced four break points at 3-3 in the opening set, which Khachanov was able to wriggle out of, but there was no escape in the next service game as he took the break with a crisp volley after a smart approach.

He quickly served out the first set in his next service game and that appeared the perfect platform for him.

But Khachanov had other ideas and, as Shapovalov’s forehand went missing in action, he quickly reeled off four successive games to put a tight grip on the second set.

Shapovalov’s level came some of the way back and he regained one break but Khachanov steely averted any further comeback attempt to level the match up.

The third set was a titanic battle with both men peppering winners from the baseline, but it was Khachanov who edged it, stealing a break at 5-5 and then serving it out.

Shapovalov was staring down the barrel but immediately came out firing and dominated the fourth set, reeling off five successive games to win it 6-1 and take the match to a decider.

Khachanov’s heart must have sunk at that point, following his gruelling five-set battle with Sebastian Korda on Monday and the last thing he needed was his opponent stepping it up a level.

He almost made a breakthrough at 2-2 but Khachanov recovered from 0-40 to hold but Shapovalov kept coming back and the match was won in the ninth game of the decider.

After squandering three more break points, he finally won his fourth when Khachanov drifted a forehand long, allowing him to serve it out.

“It was super tough, especially in the fifth, missing those break points and then having the craziest game of my life,” Shapovalov said in his on-court interview.

“I was in a similar position in the US Open in the quarter-final and I started that fifth set a little bit slow so I told myself I wanted to start quick and play every point as hard as I can in the fifth set. Luck was on my side.”

Meanwhile, Roger Federer’s hopes of winning a ninth title were ended by a quarter-final loss to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz.

The 39-year-old had played himself into form through the first week at the All England Club to raise hopes of an improbable trophy run after two knee operations and a month short of his 40th birthday.

But Hurkacz is a top-20 player and 15 years Federer’s junior, and was simply too good on the day for his opponent, who suffered a straight-sets loss at Wimbledon for the first time in 19 years.

After a poor first set in breezy conditions, Federer led 4-1 in the second but he could not find his timing and Hurkacz kept his wonderfully to win 6-3 7-6 (4) 6-0, handing the Swiss his first ever bagel at Wimbledon.

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ANDY MURRAY’S WIMBLEDON COMEBACK ENDS WITH THIRD-ROUND LOSS TO DENIS SHAPALOV

Andy Murray’s Wimbledon comeback ended in the third round with a straight-sets defeat by Denis Shapovalov.

By winning back-to-back matches at a grand slam for the first time since his hip problems started in 2017, the two-time Wimbledon champion had Centre Court dreaming of British wins once again.

But 10th seed Shapovalov was a step up from Nikoloz Basilashvili and Oscar Otte, and Murray was comfortably beaten 6-4 6-2 6-2 to complete a miserable day for British players on Centre following Dan Evans’ loss to Sebastian Korda.

That means Cameron Norrie, who takes on Roger Federer on Saturday, is once again flying the British flag solo for the men, with Emma Raducanu the only home woman left in the singles draw.

Murray spoke after his five-set win over Otte on Wednesday about how slippery he had found Centre Court, and he changed his shoes after falling twice in the opening two games here.

Extra grip did not translate to any kind of hold on the match, though, as Shapovalov drove vicious groundstrokes deep into the court, exploiting his opponent’s lack of weight of shot, to move into a 5-1 lead.

From there Murray mounted a comeback, hitting through the ball better and putting doubt in the mind of Shapovalov, who missed one chance to serve it out and then found himself under intense pressure the second time.

Murray had three chances to get back to 5-5 but the 22-year-old Canadian held firm each time, saving the third with a superb stop volley.

Shapovalov has long been regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in the game, with his explosive one-handed backhand and all-court game.

The Canadian won the junior title at the All England Club in 2016, the same year Murray lifted the men’s trophy for the second time.

The momentum going into the second set appeared to favour Murray but again he made a bad start, dropping serve with a double fault and then going a double break down.

The 34-year-old was pulling off some fine shots but not consistently while his movement simply was not sharp enough to keep him in long rallies.

Murray tried to stage another comeback but Shapovalov, who fell over numerous times on the slick surface, saved a succession of break points at 1-4 and had no problems serving out the set this time.

That was the cue for the closing of the roof, which had been the catalyst for Murray to turn things around against Basilashvili and Otte, but it was a very different story this time, with Shapovalov racing through the third set to set up a fourth-round clash against eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut.

The crowd tried to pull Murray back into the contest but this was Shapovalov’s night, the Scot offering a lingering wave as he headed off the stage.