WATCH: Sabalenka showed encouraging improvements at the Western & Southern Open, where she reached the semifinals.

MELBOURNE—While exiting the grounds early evening on an Australia Day that turned from warm to rather chilly—unsurprising since Melbourne, reputedly, can have four seasons in a day—fans chugged beers as they watched the action in the cozy Grand Slam oval a few feet from Rod Laver Arena. One was overheard

It was fitting that the clinching shot of Team Europe’s 2021 Laver Cup victory came off the racquet of Andrey Rublev. It happened in the form of a crunching crosscourt volley winner, giving Rublev and Alexander Zverev a 6-2, 6-7 (4), 10-3 win over the Team World duo of Reilly

Those storm clouds that have been following your every move on the East Coast? They don't end at the country's border. I found that out the hard way on Saturday, on a plane that was jumpy enough to send flight attendants flying into people's seats and one woman staggering back

The last Grand Slam that the women played, at Wimbledon, was wildly unpredictable. As this one begins, though, the possibilities seem narrow, and the title contenders few—in fact, only two plausible winners come to mind. That’s due to a combination of a couple of things: Maria Sharapova’s withdrawal, sugar and

NEW YORK (AP) -- His considerable lead, and a chance at history, slipping away, Andy Murray dug deep for stamina and mental strength, outlasting Novak Djokovic in a thrilling five-set, nearly five-hour U.S. Open final Monday. It had been 76 years since a British man won a Grand Slam singles

The Asian swing continues this week as the tours collide at the National Tennis Center in Beijing. For the last few years, the WTA has staged one of its four biggest non-Slam tournaments there, the China Open. The ATP’s version of that event is technically a warm-up to its own

Last year, for the 50th anniversary of TENNIS Magazine, we focused on the past. Given the tome of stories we’d told, and the trove of players and matches we’d witnessed over the past half-century, it was only natural to look back. And it was comical to even consider doing something

The first in an occasional series about the glories and nightmares of tennis competition. For pro ball, see my post on David Nalbandian (yes, David Nalbandian) at ESPN.com. The club I belong to is about as “city” as tennis clubs get—there’s nothing “country” about it. It’s wedged between an outdoor

by Pete Bodo One thing about that galoot Juan Martin del Potro; he's been about as methodical as he is big. As predictable (and I mean that in a good way) as the sunrise. As stable as the concrete piling holding up a major bridge. Which is why his actions

Jannik Sinner vs. Tommy Paul Questions about favoritism and failed doping tests swirled around the top-seeded Sinner as the tournament began. But those have proven to be his biggest challenges so far. Since then, he has barely been pushed by his first three opponents. That should change when he faces

NEW YORK—“Downs and downs and downs and downs.” That’s what a disappointed Serena Williams, speaking to her team in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday night, said her career mostly consisted of these days. She was exaggerating, of course, but her frustration at losing her fourth straight Grand Slam final was

WATCH—The Daily Serve takes a look at the US Open draw:

Generational turnover has been a major, if unsung, theme of 2012 on the men’s side. Aging tour vets Ivan Ljubicic, Fernando Gonzalez, Andy Roddick, and Juan Carlos Ferrero scattered their retirements through the season. At the same time, two 25-year-olds, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, consolidated their positions at the

MELBOURNE—Remember when one of the Big Four was guaranteed to win the men's title at a major? Or when Serena Williams was a lock for the women’s crown and you just sat back to watch some great, if slightly predictable, tennis? Now, all that’s for the history books. We have

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla.—“If you’ve just joined us, you might be asking yourself, ‘Why is Victoria Azarenka in such a grumpy mood?’” The TV commentator calling Wednesday's quarterfinal between Azarenka and Johanna Konta here had a point. Vika was up 6-4, 4-1, she had won four straight games and she had

I’m not big on conspiracy theories, but count me among those who suspect that things may not be what they appear in the formerly happy kingdom of the much-acclaimed King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. Like all palaces, this one seems to generate a fair amount of intrigue, even if nobody

Phpaahiuupm [Here's a TW bonus Feature from Asad Raza, aka Ray Stonada, who joined the Grandstand faithful to take in the Murray-Lee match. Dude can write write a lick, eh? - Pete] Sometimes nationalism can seem strange. That's how I felt yesterday, leaving Arthur Ashe Stadium. There, thousands of fans

NEW YORK—CiCi Bellis bellowed. The 16-year-old from Atherton, California had just watched gleefully as Kimiko Date-Krumm’s final backhand sailed long, giving her a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory in the first round of the U.S. Open qualifying tournament. She turned toward the baseline corner seats, shook her fists at her coach,

Tucked away in a lush, wooded corner of the Hamptons sits Hampton Racquet, a picturesque family-owned country club where anyone is welcome. Here, 13 Har-tru green clay courts named for neighborhoods in Queens sit side by side with four new pickleball courts, instead of fighting for space. A world-class Vietnamese