Tennis

10:46 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — “Time violation, Mr. Djokovic.” It was these four words that caused the first of two dramatic swings in the Australian Open men’s final on Sunday. Novak Djokovic, the man who came into the match as a seven-time winner at Melbourne Park, had taken a tight first set against fifth

7:49 AM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic was looking weary and worn down. He trailed Dominic Thiem in the Australian Open final — miscues mounting, deficit growing. Djokovic did what he does, though. He refused to lose, waited for a chance to pounce and found his best tennis when absolutely necessary. Regaining

Feb 2, 2020 Associated Press American Rajeev Ram‘s decision to focus on doubles paid off handsomely Sunday when he teamed with Englishman Joe Salisbury to win the Australian Open men’s doubles crown. The 11th seeds were in total control from early in the opening set to beat Australian wildcard pair Max Purcell and Luke Saville

Feb 1, 2020 Associated Press Barbora Krejcikova paid an emotional tribute to a passed compatriot when she successfully defended her Australian Open mixed doubles title. Krejcikova and Nikola Mektic beat Jamie Murray and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 5-7, 6-4 (10-1) in a fluctuating final under the closed roof at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night. The last

9:45 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPNW Writer MELBOURNE, Australia — Sofia Kenin came to the year’s first Grand Slam as a player to watch — a rising American placed in the toughest quarter of the draw — but without many expectations. She left it the sport’s newest superstar. After an impressive run to the finals that

5:53 AM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — This, essentially, was where Sofia Kenin was going to win or lose the Australian Open final: She was down love-40 while serving at 2-all in the third set against two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza. Kenin came through in spectacular fashion. She won the next five points, each

4:17 AM ET Brad Gilbert Close Former player-turned coach and author Brad Gilbert is an analyst on ESPN’s extensive schedule of tennis programming, including, since 2009, all four majors – the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. He joined ESPN in 2004 and serves as a studio analyst, match analyst and sideline

9:26 AM ET Simon Cambers MELBOURNE, Australia — If Dominic Thiem goes on to win this year’s Australian Open for his first Grand Slam title, there can be no question he will have earned it. Having needed five sets to get through his second-round match against Australian Alex Bolt, the Austrian outlasted Rafael Nadal in

7:40 AM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Locked in an even-as-can-be Australian Open semifinal, Dominic Thiem looked up at his guest box, patted his belly and stuck out his tongue, as if to indicate he was feeling sick. He shook his head. He winced. Whatever might have been going on, Thiem turned out to

3:49 AM ET Chris Evert MELBOURNE, Australia — It’s the Australian Open women’s singles final that not many predicted going into Thursday’s semifinals — I know I had Ashleigh Barty facing off against Simona Halep — but that’s the beauty of tennis. Instead, we have Garbine Muguruza looking to add to her two Grand Slam

5:30 PM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — After 14 days of captivating tennis at Melbourne Park, Novak Djokovic and Sofia Kenin emerged as Australian Open singles champions for 2020. Djokovic’s come-from-behind five-set win over Dominic Thiem in Sunday’s final gave him an unprecedented eighth Australian Open title. Kenin, the 21-year-old American, enjoyed a fairy-tale fortnight, defeating

7:00 AM ET Simon Cambers MELBOURNE, Australia — It seems that even Roger Federer does not have an unlimited supply of miracles. Having got himself out of jail against the Australian John Millman in a final-set tiebreak in Round 3 and saved seven match points in beating Tennys Sandgren in another five-setter in the quarters,

5:14 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPNW Writer MELBOURNE, Australia — The headline on the front of a local newspaper’s sports page loomed everywhere at Melbourne Park on Thursday. “Halep lurks dangerously on Barty’s horizon,” it proclaimed, with an image of a victorious Simona Halep celebrating her win over Anett Kontaveit in the quarterfinals of the Australian

11:24 PM ET Jake MichaelsESPN Associate Editor Close Jake Michaels is a Melbourne-based multi-sport journalist who covers everything from AFL to Formula 1. He joined ESPN in June, 2013. Follow on Twitter Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print MELBOURNE, Australia — Unheralded American Sofia Kenin has ended world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty’s Australian Open

9:54 AM ET Simon Cambers MELBOURNE, Australia — Even for legends of the game, there are times when they just have to say: “Too good.” It took a barrage of brutal hitting from Dominic Thiem to end Rafael Nadal‘s title hopes at the Australian Open on Wednesday night, as the Austrian survived a nerve-addled finale

3:59 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — At the beginning of the fortnight in Melbourne, there wouldn’t have been too many Australian tennis fans rooting for Alexander Zverev. It’s not to say the seventh seed is someone who’s not worth rooting for, but the German simply pales in comparison to the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael

3:59 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — At the beginning of the fortnight in Melbourne, there wouldn’t have been too many Australian tennis fans rooting for Alexander Zverev. It’s not to say the seventh seed is someone who’s not worth rooting for, but the German simply pales in comparison to the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael

8:44 PM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — A pair of two-time major winners will play for a spot in the Australian Open final after No. 4 Simona Halep and unseeded Garbiñe Muguruza won their quarterfinals matches in straight sets on Wednesday. Both have already won Wimbledon and the French Open and are bidding for