Tennis

Associated Press Jan 16, 2024, 09:50 AM ET Open Extended Reactions RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Rafael Nadal will serve as an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation, part of a recent effort by the kingdom to make inroads into tennis and other sports. Nadal, 37, of Spain, has won 22 Grand Slam titles. He is

Jake Michaels, ESPN Senior WriterJan 16, 2024, 08:40 AM ET Close Jake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who covers everything from Aussie Rules to Formula One, basketball to boxing. He has been with ESPN for 10 years and works as a Senior Writer, covering sport in Australia and around the world. Open Extended Reactions

Jan 15, 2024, 06:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The first round of the Australian Open continues for a third day and we’ve got a cracking slate of games coming your way. Women’s world No. 1 Iga Swiatek opens feature court action against former AO champion Sofia Kenin, while fellow title hopes Elena Rybakina, Carlos

Jake Michaels, ESPN Senior WriterJan 15, 2024, 08:59 AM ET Close Jake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who covers everything from Aussie Rules to Formula One, basketball to boxing. He has been with ESPN for 10 years and works as a Senior Writer, covering sport in Australia and around the world. Open Extended Reactions

ESPN News Services Jan 15, 2024, 08:06 AM ET Open Extended Reactions MELBOURNE, Australia — Naomi Osaka returned to Grand Slam tennis after maternity leave in the same way she left it, with a first-round loss after going down 6-4 7-6 (2) to Caroline Garcia on Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open on Monday.

Jan 14, 2024, 06:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions First-round Australian Open action continues, with some big names set to hit centre court on Monday, including the most recent women’s US Open Grand Slam champion, Coco Gauff. Two-time winner here Naomi Osaka also makes her long-awaited return to the court after taking time off as

Bill Connelly, ESPN Staff WriterJan 14, 2024, 09:31 AM ET Close Bill Connelly is a staff writer for ESPN.com. Open Extended Reactions The 2024 Australian Open is upon us. It will not feature Rafael Nadal, as we hoped it might, but there’s more than enough to track over the coming fortnight. It gives us the

Matt Walsh, Assistant EditorJan 14, 2024, 03:07 AM ET Close Matt Walsh is a Melbourne-based sports journalist who willingly travels far and wide to watch any sport. Not only has he seen NFL in Dallas, football in London, baseball in Arlington and hockey in Boston, he’s covered F1, AFL, Wimbledon and the Australian Open for

Jan 13, 2024, 06:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The 2024 Australian Open tournament is underway! We’re just two weeks away from crowning a men’s and women’s champion – can anyone dethrone the king of Melbourne Park, Novak Djokovic? What about on the women’s side – will Aryna Sabalenka go back-to-back? Or can Naomi Osaka

Open Extended Reactions A FEW DAYS before Christmas, and a few days before Ben Shelton boarded a plane for the start of the 2024 tennis season and its first major at the Australian Open, he went over to his parents’ house in Gainesville, Florida, to grab something from his old bedroom. While he was rummaging

Associated Press Jan 13, 2024, 05:52 AM ET Open Extended Reactions ADELAIDE, Australia — Australia in January suits Jiri Lehecka. Last year, he reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. On Saturday, the seventh-seeded Czech beat unseeded Briton Jack Draper 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in Adelaide International final to win his first ATP Tour title. Sixth-seeded

Jan 12, 2024, 10:46 PM ET Open Extended Reactions AUCKLAND — Alejandro Tabilo will head into the Australian Open on a high after winning his first ATP Tour title with a 6-2 7-5 victory over Japan’s Taro Daniel in the Auckland Classic final on Saturday. The 26-year-old Chilean, who is ranked 82 in the world

D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com Jan 12, 2024, 06:42 AM ET Open Extended Reactions IT WAS DEC. 1 when everything seemed to come together — again — for Naomi Osaka. She had been working tirelessly for the previous seven weeks with her team on and off the court at a private residence in Sherman Oaks, California, and

ESPN News Services Jan 12, 2024, 02:14 AM ET Open Extended Reactions ADELAIDE, Australia — Jiri Lehecka defeated third-seeded Sebastian Korda 6-2, 6-1 on Friday to advance to the Adelaide International final. The Czech player, who has dropped only one set in the tournament, will face either Alexander Bublik or Jack Draper in Saturday’s final

Associated Press Jan 11, 2024, 05:56 PM ET Open Extended Reactions INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — The BNP Paribas Open is increasing its total prize money by over $1.4 million to $19 million for the two-week combined men’s and women’s tournament in the Southern California desert. Over $1 million in additional prize money will be added

D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com Jan 11, 2024, 09:42 AM ET Open Extended Reactions It might be cold or even snowing where you live, but it’s summertime in the Southern Hemisphere and that means just one thing: It’s time to get ready for long nights and overcaffeinated mornings because the 2024 Australian Open is upon us. And

Jan 11, 2024, 04:38 AM ET Open Extended Reactions John Millman has choked back tears thanking his loyal fans after the self-confessed tennis “battler” played the final match of his storied 18-year professional career. The one-time US Open quarter-finalist and fan favourite lost 6-4 6-3 to Slovakia’s Alex Molcan in the second round of Australian

Associated Press Jan 10, 2024, 10:27 PM ET Open Extended Reactions MELBOURNE, Australia — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek will face 2020 champion Sofia Kenin in the first round and potentially 2016 winner Angelique Kerber or Danielle Collins in the second in a tough start to her bid for a first Australian Open title. Defending champion Novak