Caroline Wozniacki had Dubai at her feet, but Petra Kvitova had the former No. 1 on the run. The left-hander’s deep drives pushed Wozniacki eight feet behind the baseline, leaving her toes tap-dancing on the "Dubai" sign painted on the court, when Kvitova stepped forward and caressed a forehand drop

Friends and former doubles teammates Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko were locked as tight as dance partners for one set. Early in the second, Azarenka charged the net and hammered an overhead that left a lunging Kirilenko flinging her body—and her Yonex racquet—across the red clay as the ball blurred

Court sense is one of Gilles Simon's strengths, but for two sets today open court space was as scarce as sea-side real estate in Monte-Carlo. So when Simon finally got John Isner right where he wanted him — off balance and lunging for a volley dancing in the dirt —

Rafael Nadal's shadow danced across the red clay as he bounced up and down during the coin toss. Novak Djokovic spent two sets shadow-boxing the world No. 1 on even terms, then the champion took charge of the fight. Unleashing his uppercut forehand with vigor, Nadal extended his decade of

Victoria Azarenka’s blond braid bounced against her back as if keeping the beat of her fast feet, tap-dancing behind the baseline. Playing as if propelled by music she heard in her head, Azarenka got in a smooth groove early and left Li Na looking as displaced as a woman seeking

FLASHBACK: Fernandez reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros last spring.

Pacing slowly in the shade offered by the back wall, Gisela Dulko looked like a woman desperately seeking shelter from Maria Sharapova's scalding shots that danced near the lines. Fans offered a sympathetic cheer when Dulko finally got on the board after an eight-game free-fall, but Sharapova was in no

The last time Madison Keys was in a Grand Slam final, at the 2017 US Open, she lost 6-3, 6-0 to fellow American Sloane Stephens. Eight years later, Keys is back in the big dance, as she’ll take on Aryna Sabalenka in the 2025 Australian Open final. Sabalenka has won

Maria Sharapova's shrieking blasts can strike fear into an opponent. But it was Sharapova's shuffle that really freaked out Ana Ivanovic today. The sound of Sharapova's short preparation steps—her toes tap-dancing across the red clay sounded like a woman skipping on Saran wrap—were a prelude to the flat strikes she

Maria Sharapova's shrieking blasts can strike fear into an opponent. But it was Sharapova's shuffle that really freaked out Ana Ivanovic today. The sound of Sharapova's short preparation steps—her toes tap-dancing across the red clay sounded like a woman skipping on Saran wrap—were a prelude to the flat strikes she

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- A new format called Fast4, which some have dubbed disco tennis, was again on display Wednesday with a recovering Rafael Nadal happy to be on the dance floor. The occasion was the official opening of the newly renovated Margaret Court Arena that will give the Australian

Do layovers count as visiting a place, or not? Denis Shapovalov’s lone recollection of touching down in Texas before this week came via connecting flight at the state’s two largest airport hubs, DFW (Dallas) and IAH (Houston). While he’s in an unfamiliar land known for its boots and barbecue, the

The comedian Neal Brennan has a new bit about why elite athletes exhibit sub-elite mental health. When you exist on a plane of your own, your relationship with reality is a tenuous one. Michael Jordan’s five-alarm competitive fire was a central theme of The Last Dance. Brennan jokes about the

Young pros look up to their veteran counterparts—but a fortunate few have received wisdom directly from them. These pairings may be opponents while at work, but outside of tournament play, they are friends, mentors and inspirations.

You could forgive Rafael Nadal's fans if visions of Lukas Rosol, Steve Darcis and Dustin Brown were dancing in their heads. Rafa—a two-time Wimbledon champion, three-time runner-up and semifinalist in his last two appearances in SW19, despite a quarterfinal-less stretch between 2012 and 2017—had his 23-year-old Argentine opponent on the

NEW YORK—On her first match point of the US Open girls’ final, Amanda Anisimova danced around the baseline, slugging groundstrokes with Cori Gauff until she finally smacked a backhand into the net. On her fourth match point, Animisova stabbed at a wide serve from Gauff but the ball caught her

Whatever you might want to say about the tennis season, you can’t say it doesn’t go out with a bang—or a tear, or a song, or a dance, or a shaved head, or a torn shirt with something that looks like a lion on it. The Davis Cup final delivered,

There’s a hilarious scene in the highbrow, art-house flick Clerks 2 where Jay, an aging slacker, announces to his BFF, Silent Bob, “Boredom is the first step on the road to relapse.” Then Jay starts to mimic the dance Buffalo Bill did in Silence of the Lambs. It’s what downtime

When the DJ on Melbourne Arena queued up Dean Martin’s, “That’s Amore”, early Sunday evening, affection spread through the stands on Australia Day, as fans sung and danced along to the classic tune. The same couldn't be said on the court, where love was all but lost. For the second

Few bops hit quite like a song of the summer: the combination of fresh melodies and relaxed beats that carry you through the hottest months of the year. Lorenzo Sonego accomplished that alchemy off the court when he released his reggaeton-inspired dance hit Un Solo Secondo shortly before enjoying a