Tennis

3:45 PM ET Novak Djokovic, the No. 1-ranked player in tennis and president of the ATP Player Council, is less reluctant to play the US Open now that USTA officials have provided a clearer look at the safety precautions designed to lower the risk of players and others contracting the coronavirus. The USTA on Wednesday

2:02 PM ET “This is crazy. I’m excited.” w That was the expression from Serena Williams, the most accomplished women’s player of the Open era, as the USTA revealed its plans to hold the Western & Southern Open and the US Open in conjunction over a 24-day “bubble” period beginning Aug. 19. The plan has

Jun 17, 2020 ESPN News Services Electronic line-calling will be used instead of line judges for US Open matches at all courts except the two largest arenas, and singles qualifying and mixed doubles, junior and wheelchair competition are being eliminated entirely. There also will be three ball people instead of six at courts other than

Jun 18, 2020 Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. — A statue of African American tennis legend Arthur Ashe on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, has been vandalized with the words “White Lives Matter.” Photos show the base of the monument tagged with white spray paint and the words “White Lives Matter” as well as the initials

7:00 AM ET Australian Paralympic tennis champion Dylan Alcott has slammed the omission of the wheelchair tournament from the US Open, calling it “disgusting discrimination.” Alcott, who won the 2015 and 2018 wheelchair singles titles at Flushing Meadows and is the reigning doubles champion, said players were not consulted and posed no greater health threat

2:53 PM ET Associated Press Two-time major champion and former No. 1 Simona Halep says she does not “currently plan to play” at the 2020 US Open. Halep added in a statement emailed by her representative to the AP on Wednesday that her stance “is not set in stone.” Two-time major winner Simona Halep has

10:42 AM ET ESPN News Services Serena Williams says she will play in this year’s US Open tennis tournament. The 23-time Grand Slam champion announced her intentions in a taped video message revealed Wednesday by the USTA. “I really cannot wait to return in New York and play the US Open 2020,” said Williams, 38.

8:00 AM ET espnW Staff Venus Williams was just a teen when she said it. She has spent the next 23 years proving it. “Everything’s different about me. Just face the facts.” Those words came before her powerful and athletic game led her to the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis. They came before she

3:34 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com American tennis star Coco Vandeweghe feels like she is weeks, if not months, away from being in prime match condition. With her San Diego-area gym still shut down because of local lockdown restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2017 Australian and US Open semifinalist has managed to get

2:29 PM ET Associated Press A World TeamTennis player or coach who tests positive for coronavirus when arriving for the three-week 2020 season will be dropped from the league without pay. Someone testing positive once competition has started would be held out for the rest of the season but still be compensated on a prorated

12:06 PM ET ESPN News Services New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday the US Open tennis tournament will be held on its scheduled dates starting in late August as part of the state’s reopening from shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Tennis Association had decided to go forward with its marquee event

3:51 AM ET Australian Nick Kyrgios has said the United States Tennis Association (UTSA) is being “selfish” by pressing ahead with the US Open on its original dates from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13. USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier confirmed on Monday that the tournament was ready to move forward “as long as we get the

8:55 AM ET The United States Tennis Association is moving ahead with its plans to play the US Open in its projected time frame, starting on Aug. 31. The ATP and WTA have embraced the plan, along with a reshuffling of the August calendar, a source familiar with the plans has confirmed to ESPN. Forbes

12:51 AM ET Associated Press BRISBANE, Australia — Ash Barty has joined the ranks of high-profile players concerned over the staging of the US Open while there’s still so much uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic. The women’s No. 1 hasn’t had the chance yet to defend her French Open title because all elite tennis competition

6:53 PM ET ESPN News Services An emotional Novak Djokovic wrapped up the first leg of his charity tournament Sunday in Belgrade, Serbia, and his tears had nothing to do with his final standing. Djokovic’s Adria Tour, which he planned in conjunction with his charity foundation while he was in Spain amid the sport’s pause

2:47 PM ET Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia — There was no social distancing and few among the thousands of fans wore face masks — and Novak Djokovic approved. The fans filled the makeshift stands on Friday at Djokovic’s Belgrade tennis club on the banks of the Danube River for the opening day of his charity

12:13 PM ET Patrick Mouratoglou, coach of Serena Williams and operator of the tennis academy that bears his name, has passionately argued that “robotic” players and a Draconian ATP code of conduct are making it difficult for tennis to attract the young audience the game needs to flourish. Due to the disruption caused by the

2:26 PM ET Dominic Thiem, a three-time Grand Slam finalist and the No. 3-ranked player in the ATP, has stepped in to headline the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, a 10-man round-robin-style tournament beginning on Saturday in the south of France at the Mouratoglou Academy. ‘With Dominic now, we have four of the top 10 ATP players