PARIS: Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal, absent from the courts for almost a year with a hip injury, announced Friday that he would return to competition in Brisbane next month ahead of the Australian Open.
“Hello everyone, after a year away from competition, it’s time to come back. It will be in Brisbane the first week of January. I’ll see you there,” the 22-time Grand Slam winner said in a post on social media.
Former world number one Nadal has not played since his defeat in the second round of the Australian Open last January, a tournament he won in 2009 and 2022.
“I think I don’t deserve to end like this,” said Nadal, referring to his Melbourne exit last year.
The 37-year-old has undergone surgery twice since and having slumped to 663rd in the world after a year without playing declared in September that the 2024 season was going to be his last.
Nadal will try to return to the highest level in Australia with the aim of competiting at the French Open which he has won a record 14 times.
He has been overtaken in the number of Grand Slam tournaments won by Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic, who now has 24 major titles.
The Spaniard had already experienced a 2021 season undermined by a foot injury, and was eliminated by Djokovic in the semifinal of the French Open.
Nadal confirms Brisbane return ahead of Australian Open
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Nadal confirms Brisbane return ahead of Australian Open
- “Hello everyone, after a year away from competition, it’s time to come back,” the 22-time Grand Slam winner said
- “I think I don’t deserve to end like this”
Top seed Gauff rallies to reach WTA Montreal fourth round
- Gauff arrived in Montreal having lost her tournament openers at Wimbledon and Berlin in the wake of her French Open triumph
- American McCartney Kessler shocked world No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, who got off to a strong start but couldn’t hang on in a 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 loss
MONTREAL: World No. 2 Coco Gauff battled through another tough three-setter Thursday, rallying from a set and a break down to beat Veronika Kudermetova and reach the fourth round of the WTA Canadian Open.
The top-seeded American, who won her second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, again struggled with her serve but held her nerve for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory over former world No. 9 Kudermetova.
“The goal of the game is to survive and advance,” Gauff said. “It’s not my best, but it was good enough for today and that’s all I can ask for.”
Gauff arrived in Montreal having lost her tournament openers at Wimbledon and Berlin in the wake of her French Open triumph.
She struggled mightily in her first match in Montreal but came up with a win over Danielle Collins despite 23 double faults.
The numbers weren’t quite as ugly against Kudermetova, but 14 double faults were damaging enough. Seven of them came in the first set, as Gauff let a 4-1 lead get away.
Gauff dropped her serve to open the second set, but after breaking back to level at 3-3 she broke again to force the third set — where she seized a 2-0 lead and powered home.
“I’m sure everybody could read my body language,” said Gauff, who admitted she “got a little bit upset” with herself.
“But mentally I’m very proud of myself. The fact that I’m winning these matches not feeling my best is definitely something to be proud of.”
Her struggles on serve are especially frustrating, Gauff said, because she skipped last week’s tournament in Washington to work on it and felt she had made progress.
“I just would like for it to transfer to the match,” said Gauff, who next faces 18-year-old Canadian wild card Victoria Mboko, a 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 winner over Czech Marie Bouzkova.
“She’s definitely playing like one of the top players in the world right now,” Gauff said of Mboko, who took the American to three sets in Rome earlier this year.
Mboko kept her cool after dropping the first set to Bouzkova and was in position to take advantage when a thigh injury that required treatment clearly hindered the Czech later in the match.
In other third-round action, American McCartney Kessler shocked world No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, who got off to a strong start but couldn’t hang on in a 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 loss.
Andreeva, the 18-year-old Russian who electrified the WTA with back-to-back 1000 level wins this year, jumped to a quick 3-1 lead, but Kessler twice regained a break and after Andreeva failed on two attempts to serve out the opening set the American won the last three points of the tiebreaker to pocket the set.
Kessler seized the initiative in the second, breaking Andreeva twice on the way to a 4-1 lead.
Making matters worse for Andreeva with the US Open coming up in August, she took a hard spill in the second set, taking a medical time out to have her left ankle bandaged.
Kessler will fight for her first WTA 1000 quarter-final appearance against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, who beat Daria Kasatkina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).
China’s Zhu Lin, whose ranking has plummeted to 493 after months sidelined by injury, advanced with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands.
Zhu will face Spain’s Jessic Bouzas, who beat Japanese qualifier Aoi Ito 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Ninth-seeded Elena Rybakina roared through the first set and held on in the second for a 6-0, 7-6 (7/5) victory over Jacqueline Cristian, lining up a meeting with Dayana Yastremska, who ousted eighth-seeded American Emma Navarro 7-5, 6-4.
Leylah Fernandez beats Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 to win the DC Open for her biggest title
- The 22-year-old from Canada, who is ranked 36th, earned her fourth singles trophy and first at a WTA 500 event
- She came quite close to a Grand Slam championship as a teenager at the 2021 US Open, losing to Emma Raducanu in the final
- There almost was a rematch in Washington, but Kalinskaya eliminated Raducanu in the semifinals Saturday
WASHINGTON: Leylah Fernandez collected the biggest title of her career at the D.C. Open with her most lopsided victory of the tournament, defeating Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 in the final on Sunday.
The left-handed Fernandez, a 22-year-old from Canada who is ranked 36th, earned her fourth singles trophy — all have come at hard-court tournaments — and first at a WTA 500 event. She came quite close to a Grand Slam championship as a teenager at the 2021 US Open, making it all the way to the final in New York before losing to Emma Raducanu.
There almost was a rematch in Washington, but Kalinskaya eliminated Raducanu in the semifinals Saturday.
Until Sunday, the 48th-ranked Kalinskaya had not dropped a set all week.
However, she wasn’t able to keep up with Fernandez, who saved the only break point she faced while taking four of Kalinskaya’s service games in a match that lasted 1 hour, 10 minutes. One key: Fernandez claimed 10 of the 12 points in the match when Kalinskaya hit a second serve.
Another: Kalinskaya finished with 24 unforced errors and just nine winners.
This was the first title for Fernandez since October 2023 at the Hong Kong Open.
She dedicated this victory to her mother, her older sister and her fitness trainer.
“Thank you so much for never giving up on me — and don’t give up on yourselves,” Fernandez said. “This trophy is for you guys.”
She arrived in Washington with a losing record this season and hadn’t won more than two matches at the same tournament since last November.
With a mix of baseline excellence and strong net play, Fernandez eliminated top-seeded Jessica Pegula — the US Open runner-up last year — and No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina — the Wimbledon champion in 2022 — on the way to the final.
The win against Rybakina in Saturday’s semifinals took three tiebreakers and more than three hours to decide.
“Amazing fight this week,” Kalinskaya told Fernandez after the title match. “You truly deserve it.”
There was no such drama against Kalinskaya, a 26-year-old Russian who fell to 0-3 in tour-level finals. She lost to Jasmine Paolini in Dubai and to Pegula in Berlin last year.
The men’s final scheduled for later Sunday was No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur against No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who defeated No. 1 Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals and No. 4 Ben Shelton in the semifinals.
Three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur announces break from tennis
- Tunisia’s Jabeur has struggled with her form in recent months
- “Right now, I feel it’s time to take a step back and finally put myself first,” she said
TUNIS: Three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur is taking a break from competitive tennis, the 30-year-old said in a social media post on Thursday.
Tunisia’s Jabeur, the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final, has struggled with her form in recent months, failing to get past the third round of a major this year.
The two-time Wimbledon finalist’s campaign came to a disappointing end at the All England Club last month as she retired from her first-round clash against Viktoriya Tomova, unable to continue after a long medical timeout.
The former world number two suffers from asthma and experienced breathing difficulties at this year’s Australian Open.
Jabeur, often called the ‘minister of happiness’ for her cheerful personality, said she was not feeling truly happy on the court.
“For the past two years, I’ve been pushing myself so hard, fighting through injuries and facing many other challenges. But deep down, I haven’t truly felt happy on the court for some time now,” she said in a statement.
“Tennis is such a beautiful sport. But right now, I feel it’s time to take a step back and finally put myself first: to breathe, to heal, and to rediscover the joy of simply living.”
Jabeur, married to former fencer Karim Kamoun, has also been open about her wish to start a family.
“Thank you to all my fans for understanding. Your support and love mean the world to me. I carry it with me always,” she added.
Scheffler ‘couldn’t care less’ about being British Open favorite
- The world number one has never seriously threatened to win a Claret Jug
- “I could not care any less about being the favorite or not being the favorite,” he said
PORTRUSH, UK: Scottie Scheffler said on Tuesday he does “not care” about being the tournament favorite as he prepares for his latest tilt at a maiden British Open title this week at Royal Portrush.
The world number one has never seriously threatened to win a Claret Jug, but is again enjoying a run of supreme form and arrives in Northern Ireland as the PGA champion.
The American has emphatically rebounded from a slow start to the year after suffering a freak hand injury cutting himself on a wine glass, reeling off 10 successive top-10 finishes including three victories.
“I could not care any less about being the favorite or not being the favorite,” he said.
“We all start even par and the tournament starts on Thursday. That’s pretty much all that matters.”
Scheffler produced his best British Open finish last year with a tie for seventh, but ended his tournament at Troon in ignominious style with an embarrassing topped tee shot on the 18th en route to a closing double-bogey.
He has never missed the cut at the links major before, though, and believes he has what it takes to lift the Claret Jug.
“In terms of links golf, I love the style of golf. I think it’s really fun and you have to be creative,” Scheffler added.
“You have to hit a lot of really good shots. There’s a challenge to it, but I think it’s a lot of fun.
“We’ll see how the weather turns out this week. Weather has a pretty dramatic effect on how the golf course is going to play.”
Scheffler won nine titles last season, including the Masters and the Olympic gold medal.
His third major title at the PGA Championship in May is one of his three victories so far this year, but he says he doesn’t set himself specific targets.
“I don’t look at wins and losses or stuff like that.
“I don’t sit down at the beginning of the year and say I want to win X number of times; I want to win this many majors; I want to win this many tournament events. That’s not something I do.
“That’s not something that works for me.”
Jannik Sinner: Quiet man of tennis basks in the limelight of Wimbledon glory
- Jannik Sinner is the quiet man of tennis who has become a big noise, burnishing his legacy on Sunday by winning his first Wimbledon title
LONDON: Jannik Sinner is the quiet man of tennis who has become a big noise, burnishing his legacy on Sunday by winning his first Wimbledon title.
The Italian beat his fierce rival Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the latest instalment of their captivating rivalry to claim his fourth Grand Slam at the age of 23.
The pair are the new dominant forces in men’s tennis, sharing the past seven Grand Slams between them as the memory of the “Big Three” era fades.
While Alcaraz is the flashy showman of the game, adored by the fans for his high-risk, high-reward tennis, Sinner stays ice-cold on the court and mild-mannered off it.
His game is based on relentless power and accuracy from the baseline, resembling that of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
The Italian is getting used to life at the top, reaching his fourth successive major final at Wimbledon this year — a run that started with the US Open last season.
Sinner defended his Australian Open title in Melbourne in January but his career was put on hold after that as he served a three-month ban for twice testing positive for banned anabolic steroid clostebol last year.
Sinner has always maintained the product entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing it to treat a cut.
The World Anti-Doping Agency said “Sinner did not intend to cheat” but that he would serve his suspension as he is responsible for the actions of his entourage.
Sinner returned to the court in May, reaching the final of the Italian Open, where he was beaten by Alcaraz.
Next on his schedule was the French Open and again he reached the title match, this time suffering heartbreak as Alcaraz came back from two sets down, saving three match points to defend his title.
That gave the Spaniard an 8-4 lead in the rivalry between the pair and was his fifth straight win.
But the tables were turned on Sunday as Sinner showed impressive mental strength to come back after losing the first set.
Sinner was born in German-speaking San Candido, in northern Italy, near the border with Austria.
A career in professional tennis was not a given.
He was a champion skier as a youngster and still enjoys the sport in the off-season. He was also a keen footballer.
The right-hander, who stands six feet 3 inches (191 centimeters) tall, won his first title indoors in Sofia in 2020.
The 2024 season was his breakthrough year as he collected his first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, and followed up with seven other titles including the US Open.
He became world number one — and the first Italian to reach top spot — in June last year.
Sinner’s super-power is his extraordinary ability to stay calm on court.
“I know he’s just 23 years of age, but sometimes it feels like he’s much older and wiser than what we are,” said his coach Darren Cahill. “He’s an incredible young man.”
Sinner makes no secret of the fact that he loves the job he has chosen.
“I’m very lucky because tennis started off a hobby when I was young, and now it becomes my job,” he said.
“In my mind it’s still a hobby. I love to go on court and just play. There is no better place to do it than in big stadiums with packed crowd.”
