Every major has a moment when it begins to feel, well, major. All of the matches seem to tighten at once, and you don’t know where to look next. For the 2018 Australian Open, that moment came midway through the day session on Wednesday. At roughly the same time, two

PARIS (AP) Sidelined in 2008 by a right shoulder that needed surgery, putting her tennis future suddenly in doubt, Maria Sharapova decided to use the free time to study a new language, the one spoken at the only Grand Slam tournament she had yet to win. `I found a French

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — If this turns out to have been the last time the world gets to watch Serena Williams at Wimbledon — and she says she doesn't know, so how could the rest of us? — it would not be how she would want to depart, naturally. Yet

World War II has been a hot topic among tennis historians in 2020. This year not only marks the 75th anniversary of the conflict’s end, it’s also the first time since the conclusion of the war in 1945 that any of the sport’s Grand Slam events have been postponed or

NEW YORK (AP) — Maybe this was just one three-setter too many for Maria Sharapova. Sharapova tried a bit of everything, even resorting to switching over her racket to hit a few lefty shots. Still, the five-time major champion could not quite keep her Grand Slam comeback from a doping

Getty Images As one of the most exciting up-and-comers on the women’s tour, 16-year-old Gauff is always one to watch wherever she plays. But there’s a big reason this one could be exciting: the two played each other for the first time just a few days ago at one of

NEW YORK—You already know what the big news was here on Friday. But Roberta Vinci’s stunning win over Serena Williams wasn’t the only stellar performance in Arthur Ashe Stadium. This will almost surely be the only time that the world No. 43’s performance overshadows outstanding ones by Novak Djokovic, Roger

It’s the tennis-world mystery of the week: Why can’t Novak Djokovic win the Western & Southern Open? He has titles at each of the other eight Masters 1000 events, and he has won the other three that are played on North American hard courts—Indian Wells, Miami, Canada—at least three times

The finales were predictable—the No. 1s won—but the rest of Wimbledon this time around was a string of surprises, from the Williams sisters’ doubles defeat, to the rise and fall of Yen-Hsun Lu, to the strong run of the highly vulnerable Novak Djokovic. Who outdid themselves? Who disappointed us? Let’s

The next time Maria Sharapova loses to Serena Williams, she just may drop all that “She’s a great player, she was just too good today” hooey and snarl, “I’ll follow that b to the ends of the earth. . .” That’s the first thing that occurred to me when I

PARIS -- Serena Williams won her opening match at the French Open, and then achieved a career breakthrough by speaking French to the crowd for the first time. "I'm a beginner," Williams said -- referring to her French, not tennis. Her play spoke volumes Sunday. Williams returned to the red

For a while there, it seemed like old times again. Among all the unexpected results so far at Wimbledon, none has been quite as surprising as the success of a few unsung journeymen who took advantage of the cool, humid conditions to take us back a few decades, back to

It’s been more than 35 years since Ronald Reagan stated, during his first inaugural address, “Those who say that we’re in a time when there are no heroes, they just don’t know where to look.” We discovered heroes in every state, starting with the determined 69-year-old who won a match

Serena Williams discusses her outburst at a lineswoman during her 6-4, 7-5 semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters in the 2009 U.S. Open semifinals. With Williams serving to stay in the match at 15-30, she was called her for a foot fault on her second serve, the second time she had

PARIS (AP) Hopping around between points to psych herself up. Swinging away at nothing but air while awaiting an opponent's serve. Screaming with abandon at almost any time during a match. Hey, that must be Marion Bartoli out on court. The 11th-seeded Frenchwoman is known for her eccentricities while playing

By Saturday, one of the four remaining competitors in Guadalajara will step into the winner’s circle for the first time this year. In Friday’s first semifinal, two Americans will battle it out. After showing encouraging signs of a resurgence in San Diego last week with her first tour-level final appearance

It can be difficult to find positives in the immediate aftermath of any loss, but Daniil Medvedev would have been forgiven if he needed more time than average after his heartbreaking Australian Open defeat to Jannik Sinner. The former world No. 1 appeared on course for a long-awaited second major

This time last year, Jannik Sinner had just cracked the ATP’s Top 100. He was competing primarily on the Challenger circuit, with a few ATP tournaments sprinkled into his schedule. Fast forward one year, and the Italian phenom is one win away from his first career ATP final—and two wins

Early in this third-round match, long before Fred Stolle learned what ‘Ajde’ means, his co-commentator Rennae Stubbs said Ana Ivanovic was in the driver’s seat and that her opponent, Vania King, was “along for the ride, no matter where that ride takes her.” Ivanovic went off track a few times,