Former Australian tennis pro and Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs has lauded Elena Rybakina for her sportsmanship after her second-round match against Anna Blinkova at the 2024 Australian Open
On Thursday, January 19, Rybakina and Blinkova were involved in the longest tie-breaker in the history of Grand Slam singles. After two hours and 46 minutes, it was Blinkova who had the last laugh with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(20) at the Rod Laver Arena.
Rybakina, the runner-up of the women’s singles last year at Melbourne Park, tried to stay alive with all her might, but in the end, she had to return empty-handed. The 2022 Wimbledon champion was stupendous in tie-breaks last year, but failed to get past the finish line this time around.
Rennae Stubbs has heaped praise on Rybakina for giving Blinkova a warm hug despite facing the heartbreaking defeat in front of a packed house.
“Look at Elena Rybakina’s face here! I mean what a sweetie! Loses an epic match and hugs her opponent with this face,” Stubbs wrote on her Instagram story.
Anna Blinkova eyes new personal feat at the Australian Open 2024
Anna Blinkova is set to take part in the third round of a Grand Slam for the fourth time and her first at the Australian Open. She played in the Round of 32 at the 2019 and 2023 French Open and 2023 Wimbledon, but failed to advance further every other time.
Blinkova will be up against No. 26 seed Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round on Saturday, January 20, at the Show Court Arena.
The Russian’s match against Elena Rybakina ebbed and flowed throughout. In the first set, Blinkova converted the only break point that she got to win. She also broke her opponent’s serve two times, but Rybakina hit back with two breaks to take the match into the deciding set.
Anna Blinkova in action at the 2024 Australian Open
At 1-1 in the third and final set, Blinkova put Rybakina under pressure with an early break. With the scoreline at 3-4 against her, Rybakina earned the break back to give herself some breathing space.
However, immediately, Anna Blinkova clinched yet another break and got the chance to serve out the set and the match. Thereafter, Rybakina held her nerve to force the match into the tiebreaker that took almost forever to finish.
The 25-year-old struggled with her second serves as she made six double faults and had a winning percentage of 30, but she did not let them affect her. Rybakina churned out 44 winners, but her efforts went in vain.
EMMA RADUCANU was knocked out of the Australian Open by China’s Yafan Wang after bravely battling breathing issues that saw her have her blood pressure taken on court.
The 2021 US Open champion, 21, recovered from a slow start to force the match into a third-set decider – but ended up losing 6-4 4-6 6-4.
A grueling nine-minute game at the beginning of the final set led to the Brit having a medical timeout.
Her blood pressure was taken by doctors as she wrapped a towel around her while sitting in her seat.
But after the required precautions were completed, Raducanu headed back out on to the court.
She bravely went on to hold her serve and had chances to break back for 2-2, only for Wang to keep her nerve and take a 3-1 lead.
The Chinese player was then one game away from the third round as she led 5-3, but Raducanu showed huge heart to hold to love and keep the match alive.
However, World No94 Wang successfully served it out to clinch victory after a marathon match that ended just four minutes shy of the three-hour mark.
It was World No 296 Raducanu’s first Grand Slam since last year’s Australian Open as she spent a lengthy period sidelined following surgery on both hands and her ankle.
She impressed in the first round with a 6-3 6-2 victory over American Shelby Rogers.
Raducanu’s breathing issues come after fellow Brit Jack Draper was seen throwing up immediately after his first-round, five-set win earlier this week.
After shaking hands with opponent Marcos Giron, the 22-year-old showed how much the Melbourne heat had impacted him as he crouched over and hurled into a bin.
Meanwhile, Raducanu’s recovery from three surgeries in 13 days included some bizarre methods such as dunking her hands in a bucket of rice for 75 minutes.
This is a form of therapy for healing hands and wrists and helps to improve grip and forearm strength.
Speaking to one of her sponsors, Porsche, she said: “I have such high standards of myself. You need massive amounts of dedication.
“If you have that, that’s where you’re going to really go above and beyond.
“The exercises I love are pretty much all in the gym. You hate them at the time but after you do them, you love them because you feel unbelievable after.
“At one stage I was doing a lot of rice exercises, like hand in a bucket of rice, moving it around, and it was killing me.
“You’re just staring at the clock for the whole hour, like ‘get me out of here’. I don’t want to see rice again!
“I truly realise how much I really missed it [tennis]. How grateful I am to be on the court playing pain-free. It’s an amazing feeling. And I really think that I can achieve whatever I want to.”
Novak Djokovic celebrated his 100th match at the Australian Open with a dominant victory over Tomas Martin Etcheverry to reach the fourth round.
Top seed Djokovic showed the best form of his title defense so far to beat the 30th seed 6-3 6-3 7-6 (7-2).
It keeps the 36-year-old on course for a 25th Grand Slam title, which would take him clear of the all-time record held by Australian Margaret Court.
“It was the best performance I’ve had during this tournament,” Djokovic said.
He will next play France’s 35-year-old Adrian Mannarino, who beat 21-year-old Ben Shelton in his third five-set win in a row.
Djokovic has won 92 of his 100 matches in Melbourne, and is now the first man to play 100 matches at all four Grand Slams, having played 108 matches at the French Open, 103 at Wimbledon and 101 at the US Open.
The 10-time champion seemed distracted at times in his first two matches at Melbourne Park, dropping sets against Dino Prizmic and then Alexei Popyrin. He was also involved in a confrontation with a fan against Popyrin.
But tasked with Argentine Etcheverry, who had impressively brushed aside Andy Murray and Gael Monfils in the previous rounds, the Serb was clinical in securing a 31st win in a row at the Australian Open.
He lost just four points on serve as he dictated from the baseline in the first set, breaking in the sixth game as Etcheverry pushed a backhand long under intense pressure.
A dismissive forehand return winner earned Djokovic an early break in the second set and he took his opponent’s serve again to clinch the set. At one stage the crowd on Rod Laver Arena gasped as he produced a trademark, stunning backhand winner on the stretch.
Etcheverry played his best tennis in the third set and forced a tie-break but Djokovic took the first three points of the breaker to ease through, wrapping up victory without facing a break point in the match.
“Obviously I’m pleased with the way I played throughout the entire match, particularly the first two sets,” Djokovic said.
“He stepped it up and raised his level of tennis in the third set. We went toe-to-toe in the tiebreaker.”
Sinner positions himself as one of Djokovic’s main rivals
Jannik Sinner’s best run at the Australian Open was a quarter-final showing in 2022
Djokovic has won all four of his previous meetings with his next opponent Mannarino, although the left-hander has reached a career-high ranking of 19 in the world at the age of 35.
Mannarino’s 7-6 (7-4) 1-6 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-4 win against American Shelton came in four hours and 46 minutes, following on from five-set victories against former champion Stan Wawrinka and Spain’s Jaume Munar in the first and second rounds respectively.
Earlier Jannik Sinner showed why he is one of Djokovic’s biggest rivals for the title by thrashing Argentine Sebastian Baez.
The Italian fourth seed raced into the second week in Melbourne with a 6-0 6-1 6-3 win in less than two hours.
the 22-year-old won four titles in 2023 and ended it on a high by leading Italy to a first Davis Cup title for 47 years.
A relaxed Sinner showed his good mood on Margaret Court Arena as he joked with his coaching team moments before securing the win against 26th seed Baez.
“In matches, I used to be really, really serious, which I still am, obviously,” he added.
“But sometimes you have to smile, you have to laugh a little bit, because it’s also important and it changes your attitude on the court. I think in a positive way.”
Sinner will face Karen Khachanov next after the Russian 15th seed overcame a third-set wobble to beat Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 7-6 (7-5).
Also on Friday, Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Frenchman Luca Van Assche to set up a fourth-round meeting with American 12th seed Taylor Fritz.
The Greek seventh seed rushed into a two-set lead, but had to fight back from a 2-0 deficit in the third to win 6-3 6-0 6-4.
Meanwhile, Fritz came from a set down to beat Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 3-6 6-4 6-2 6-2.
Home favourite Alex de Minaur, the 10th seed, also progressed with a 6-3 6-3 6-1 win over Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli.
Iga Swiatek’s hunt for a maiden Australian Open title goes on after she mounted a stunning recovery from a double-break down in the final set to oust Danielle Collins – the woman who denied her a spot in the 2022 final. Swiatek looked dead and buried at 4-1 in the third, admitting later she had “no idea how to react” to the Collins bombardment, but reeled off five straight games to squeak through.
Iga Swiatek roared back from 4-1 down in the deciding set to exact revenge on Danielle Collins at the Australian Open.
Two years ago, the Pole looked on course for a showdown with home hero Ashleigh Barty in Melbourne when Collins sprung a surprise in their semi-final – and the American hit another inspired patch in their second-round clash on Thursday.
But this time, Swiatek found a response as Collins tightened up, winning five straight games to come through a thrilling contest 6-4 3-6 6-4.
Asked how she pulled it off, Swiatek said: “Oh my god, I don’t even know. Honestly, I was in the airport already!
“I wanted to fight until the end. I know she just played perfectly, but it would be hard for anybody to keep that level so I wanted to be ready when more mistakes were going to come. I’m really proud of myself because it wasn’t easy.”
Their last match in Cincinnati saw Swiatek lose just one game in a devastating win, but she was pushed to the brink by the former finalist under the closed roof on Rod Laver Arena as it rained outside.
Collins claimed the first break to move 3-1 ahead in the opening set, only to gift it straight back to live in a teaser trailer for her Jekyll and Hyde performance to follow.
Swiatek was starting to read the Collins serve and the Pole broke again for 5-4, before serving out the set at the first opportunity.
But Collins, who has slipped to 62nd in the WTA rankings after a career high of No. 7, turned up the heat. After losing her serve at the start of the second set, she started to hit with freedom – and blistering power – as she reeled off five games on the trot.
It took her six set points – and three games – to get over the line in the set, but it was clear she had the world No. 1 on the ropes.
The American continued her bombardment at the start of the deciding set, gobbling up Swiatek’s second serve and peppering the baseline, as she swiftly claimed a double break in the decider. And that, bizarrely, was when it all started to go wrong for her.
Swiatek immediately claimed one of the breaks back to love as Collins’ loose groundstrokes became a little more rigid, before the Pole superbly wriggled out of trouble from 0-40 in the next with five points on the spin.
Now Swiatek was in the ascendancy and she cracked her opponent’s serve again to restore order in the decider as Collins started to miss with alarming regularity. She then held and, suddenly, from 1-4 down, she was one game away from a spot in the third round at 5-4.
The best and worst of Collins came out in the next, and final, game. She saved two match points from 15-40 with some ferocious hitting, then duly missed the court to hand her opponent a third opportunity. This time, Swiatek did not blink as she chased down a drop shot to fire down the winner and bring the curtain down on the most memorable of contests.
After the obligatory handshakes, Swiatek slumped to her chair and concealed herself underneath a towel as she processed her latest sensational win.
“I felt like I had the momentum and then she suddenly started playing two times faster and I had no idea how to react to that for a couple of minutes, a couple of games,” said Swiatek.
“But I came back and I just thought ‘the only thing I can focus on is myself’ and I stopped caring how she was playing.”
After facing two big-hitting Americans in Collins and 2020 champion Sofia Kenin in the most brutal of draws, Swiatek meets unseeded Czech Linda Noskova in the third round.
Martina Navratilova had once spoken about how Serena Williams handled tennis despite her off-the-court commitments like endorsements.
Williams established herself as one of the world’s best players in the early 2000s and won three of the four Grand Slams in 2002. She successfully defended her Wimbledon title in 2003 by beating her sister Venus Williams in the final.
At the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, Martina Navratilova was asked about the American’s approach towards tennis that saw her play at an elite level while also being successful in her off-court endeavors, namely her acting in commercials and her fashion company.
The Czech-American responded by saying that it showed how talented Serena Williams was. She also said that Williams would give up her acting and fashion designing if she lost in tennis.
“Well, obviously, she can get away with it. You know, how long she can do that, I don’t know. But it just shows how talented she is. I mean, she is one of a kind, with her body. That’s her biggest asset, is getting to balls that nobody – most people wouldn’t even think about running down,” Navratilova said.
“She not only gets to them, but she does something with the ball. I think she’s committed enough. I think if she started losing, then she would probably give up the acting bit and the fashion design, whatever,” she added.
Navratilova expressed her admiration towards Serena Williams and Venus Williams stating that they approached tennis without making it the only thing in their lives.
“You can only do so much. I mean, it’s great to have a hobby and other interests, and I’m glad that both the Williams sisters are very broad-minded about things, that tennis is not, you know, the only thing in their life. But it needs to be the main thing in their life,” the former World No. 1 said.
“So you can do other things, but only up to a point. If they start taking away, ‘Well, I can’t practice today because I got to go design this house,’ whatever, that’s gonna get in the way eventually. You can only get away with that for so long. But so far, obviously, she can do it all. So more power to her,” she added.
Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles
Serena Williams at the 2022 US Open
Serena Williams enjoyed an extraordinary tennis career that saw her cement her status as one of the greatest players of all time.
The American won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, an Open Era record among women. Williams won seven titles each at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and her tally of six titles at the US Open is a joint-record in the Open Era. The American also won the French Open thrice.
Serena Williams also won the Olympic singles gold in 2012 by defeating Maria Sharapova in the final. She also enjoyed a highly successful doubles career with 16 Grand Slams to her name, including 14 women’s doubles titles along with her sister Venus Williams and two mixed doubles titles.
Federer and Nadal’s Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry is legendary. The pair played 40 tour-level matches, with some of the clashes among the best in the sport’s history.
Nadal made his comeback in Brisbane in what he called “a very positive week”. But the 37-year-old was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open due to a micro tear in a muscle.
Simona Halep will play an exhibition match in Cluj-Napoca as part of the Sports Festival, an event that will take place on June 15, according to the event organizers.
The former women’s world no. 1 will join two world tennis legends, Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi, who will participate in the Sports Festival. Halep and Andrei Pavel will play alongside the two great former tennis players in a match, according to Euronews.
Tickets for the exhibition match have been put on sale and range from RON 170 (EUR 34) to RON 245 (EUR 49), while a VIP ticket is RON 1,500 (EUR 302).
Simona Halep played her last official match in August 2022, when she was eliminated in the first round at the US Open by Daria Snigur. A few weeks after the match, the athlete failed an anti-doping test and was provisionally suspended. She is now under a four-year suspension from any official tennis event.
Halep has appealed the ban to the Court of Sports Arbitration. The hearing, the tennis star’s last chance to overturn the ban, will be held at the beginning of February.
Defending Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic said a confrontation with a spectator was the spark he “needed” to hold off Alexei Popyrin and avoid a shock second-round exit.
Djokovic, chasing a record-extending 11th men’s title in Melbourne, looked far from his best in the four-set win.
The Serb told one spectator to “come down and tell it to my face” during the fourth set after repeated heckling.
“Maybe that was needed for me to be shaken up a bit,” said Djokovic, 36.
The world number one said he did not “want to be in those types of situations” but added the incident helped him to “start to find the kind of intensity on the court” that was required for him to see out a 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 victory.
The inspired Popyrin, ranked 43rd, entertained the partisan home crowd as he won the second set to level the match before losing a pivotal third set in a tie-break after failing to capitalise on four set points.
With the fourth set level at 2-2, Djokovic – who admitted he felt “flat emotionally” – said he engaged with the fan because his patience had run out after “a lot of things” were shouted at him during the match.
“There was a lot of things that were being told to me on the court, particularly from that corner, and the same side in the other corner.
“I was tolerating it for most of the match. At one point I had enough, and I asked him whether he wanted to come down and tell it to my face.
“He didn’t have the courage to come down. That’s what I was asking him. If you have courage, if you’re such a tough guy, come down and tell it to my face, and let’s have a discussion about it.
“He was apologizing from far away. That’s all it is.”
Djokovic finds a way
Djokovic came through the longest first-round Grand Slam match of his career against teenage qualifier Dino Prizmic on Sunday, playing for four hours and one minute.
The early stages of his second match of the tournament suggested it would be a much quicker encounter for the Serb, who took 38 minutes to claim the opener after sealing the decisive break with a stunning cross-court winner to go 5-3 up before consolidating.
However, Popyrin – the world number 43 – proved to be a bigger threat than rankings suggested.
Having gone a break up in the fourth game, Popyrin missed the chance to serve out the second set, but he redeemed himself in front of his home fans with a sensational lob to break at 5-4 and level the match.
Djokovic survived four set points before racing through the tie-break to close out a dramatic third set and put himself in the driving seat.
And, after confrontating the heckler in the stands, the 24-time major winner thrived on the crowd’s hostility to break for a 4-2 lead. Missing out on four match points, he claimed victory with the fifth as the clock struck midnight at Melbourne Park.
“I don’t think I played at the highest level,” Djokovic said. “I didn’t do anything special – he was a better player for a set and a half. Things changed around and the momentum shifted in the tie-break.”
Djokovic will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry next after the Argentine 30th seed, who conquered Andy Murray in straight sets on Monday, won 6-4 6-4 6-4 against Gael Monfils.
Sinner working on ‘Baywatch’ physique
Sinner has never gone further than the quarter-finals at the Australian Open
Italian fourth seed Jannik Sinner stormed into the third round with a dominant win against Jesper de Jong.
The 22-year-old needed just 103 minutes to thrash the Dutch qualifier 6-2 6-2 6-2 under a closed roof on Margaret Court Arena on a rainy day.
Sinner, who will face Daniel Elahi Galan or Sebastian Baez in the next round, said he has been working in the gym on his off-days in Melbourne.
He joked he wanted a muscular physique like the actors in TV show Baywatch.
“Tomorrow I have a day off, trying to practise myself into the match rhythm. I [will do] also a little bit in the gym. Even if you can’t see it, I’m skinny, but it’s OK,” Sinner said.
“I’m happy with my physicality at the moment. Of course it’s a dream to have the ‘Baywatch’ physicality but it’s OK.”
Adrenaline rush carries Tsitsipas through tough test
Stefanos Tsitsipas said the adrenaline rush he felt was “insane” as he battled past Jordan Thompson in Wednesday’s night session on Margaret Court Arena.
The Greek seventh seed required three hours and 36 minutes to overcome the Australian home hope 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 7-6 (7-4).
“You live for these kinds of matches, the intensity was there today. We were both able to peak in terms of our tennis at some point during the match,” Tsitsipas added.
“The fact that I can go to sleep tonight and know I gave it all makes me extremely happy right now.”
He will face Luca van Assche in the third round after Italian 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti suffered a surprise defeat at the hands of the French teenager, who fought back from 2-1 down to win 6-3 3-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-0.
American 17th seed Frances Tiafoe was another shock exit as he fell to a 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-5) loss against Czech world number 75 Tomas Machac.
Tiafoe’s American compatriots, 12th seed Taylor Fritz and 16th seed Ben Shelton claimed wins against French lucky loser Hugo Gaston and Australia’s Christopher O’Connell, respectively.
Elsewhere, Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev needed just 99 minutes to beat American Chris Eubanks 6-4 6-4 6-4, while Australian 10th seed Alex de Minaur swept aside Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi 6-3 6-0 6-3.
The Bratz doll version of Gauff looks strikingly similar to the real-life tennis player
Coco Gauff has been transformed into a Bratz doll in a new illustration approved by the toy brand and the tennis star. The image shows the young athlete striking a pose while wearing a white top, a Burberry printed skirt, a brown handbag, and boots while the doll recreates her exact outfit.
The Bratz doll version of Gauff looks strikingly similar to the real-life tennis player, with her signature long braids and youthful features.
The Bratz dolls were first introduced in 2001 and quickly became famous for young girls. The dolls were known for their exaggerated features, including large heads, eyes, and unique fashion styles. The dolls have undergone several transformations over the years, adding new characters and outfits to the lineup.
A Coco Gauff Bratz doll would prove her rising popularity and influence if launched. Gauff entered the scene in 2019 when she became the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon in the Open era. Since then, she has continued to impress on the court, defeating some of the biggest names in tennis. She won the U.S. Open in 2023.
Gauff’s impact goes beyond the tennis court
She has become a role model for young girls worldwide, inspiring them to pursue their dreams and break down barriers. Gauff has been vocal about her desire to use her platform to make a positive impact.
In 2023, Coco Gauff revealed during the tournament’s media day that her love for fashion and personal style is essential to her life outside the tennis world. “That’s something that I’ve been thinking about a lot,” Gauff said. “I really do love fashion. I love makeup. I love that type of thing. I just haven’t really thought about how I would build that into a brand, per se.”
When asked about her current fashion favorites, Gauff mentioned some high-profile brands that have caught her eye. These include Miu Miu, Ganni, and Fendi. Her interest in fashion extends beyond just wearing stylish clothes; she’s also drawn to the world of makeup and beauty.
Serena Williams wasted no time in confronting Shahar Peer about an errant shot during their clash at the 2005 Miami Open.
Williams and Peer locked horns in five tour-level encounters during their careers. The American dominated the rivalry, emerging victorious in all five encounters. The duo met for the first time at the 2005 Miami Open, where Williams claimed a 6-3, 6-3 win.
Despite the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s dominant performance, it was her net exchange with the Israeli that garnered the most attention. While shaking hands with Peer, Serena Williams inquired whether the Israeli had deliberately aimed a particular shot at her body during the match.
“Did you try to hit me on that one shot?” she asked.
After Peer denied doing so, the American questioned her once more before concluding the exchange and moving on.
“You sure?” Williams asked.
“Yes,” Peer replied.
Serena Williams: Did you try to hit me that one shot? Sahar Peer: No Seren: You sure? Sahar: Yes Serena: Alright 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/mE2mzETlVB
Tennis fans on social media fondly reminisced about Serena Williams confronting Shahar Peer, with several fans expressing delight at the perceived intimidation factor the American had over her fellow players.
“When Serena Williams was on, I don’t think anyone here would be able to beat her” – Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams
Ahead of her campaign at the ongoing Australian Open, Caroline Wozniacki opened up about the challenges of comparing the current WTA top 10 to the top-ranked players from half a decade ago.
“I think it’s hard to – I don’t know – compare the old top 10 with the new top 10. Obviously, a few of the players that are in the top 10 now or top of the game were playing when the old top 10 was there,” Wozniacki said during her pre-tournament press conference.
Wozniacki also asserted that she couldn’t compare any of the current top-ranked players with Serena Williams, expressing her belief that, on her best day, the American could defeat them easily.
“I mean, you can’t really compare someone to Serena, in my opinion. I think when Serena was on, when she was playing her best tennis, I don’t think anyone here would be able to beat her. I’m saying that with having played basically anyone on tour,” she added.
Caroline Wozniacki kicked off her Australian Open campaign against 20th seed Magda Linette. Wozniacki dominated the encounter, taking a 6-2, 2-0 lead before Linette was forced to retire due to injury.
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