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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Jannik Sinner has upset Novak Djokovic to reach the Australian Open men's final, ending the 10-time champion's career unbeaten streak in semifinals at Melbourne Park. 6 Alexander Zverev for the championship on Sunday. Djokovic’s bid for a record-extending 11th Australian and 25th major title overall will have to wait. He hadn’t lost a match at Melbourne Park since 2018 and was on a 33-match winning streak at the season’s first major. Every previous time he'd won a quarterfinal in Australia, Djokovic had gone on to win the hardcourt title.

Persons: —, Novak Djokovic, Djokovic’s, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, hadn’t, he'd, Djokovic Organizations: Melbourne Park, Australia Locations: MELBOURNE, Australia

Djokovic, Norrie and Fruhvirtova were not prepared to blame the ever-changing types of tennis balls used year-round at the sport's highest levels, but they weren't necessarily ready to absolve that issue completely, either. He said when the ATP asks male players at the end of each season what they think can be improved about the sport, he always mentions the fluctuations among the fuzzy tennis balls. Ten brands of tennis balls — and 19 distinct types — were used across the WTA in 2023. "It does change week by week." One significant difference between tennis and some other sports is that surfaces change, prompting ball changes.

Persons: Novak, Cam Norrie, Brenda Fruhvirtova, Norrie, Fruhvirtova, “, Milos Raonic, Taylor Fritz, didn’t, I’ve, ” Fritz, “ It’s, It’s, it’s, Katie Boulter, Carlos Alcaraz, Fritz, Alcaraz, Victoria Azarenka, ” Azarenka, AP Sports Writers John Pye, Andrew Dampf, ___ Organizations: Australian, Melbourne Park, WTA, ATP, ”, Wimbledon, NHL, Major League Baseball, FIFA, U.S ., U.S, Victoria, AP Sports Writers Locations: California, Melbourne, British, Australia, Turin, Italy

☆ Gutsy Australia see off Czechs to make Davis Cup semi-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I've never seen anything like it live," Ebden said of their comeback victory. "I've seen it on TV back in the day, comebacks when your backs are against the wall. But what Alex did to give us the chance to come out here and fight was incredible. We were inside thinking we're one game away from being out of here and ... winning and going to the semi-finals, we couldn't be more proud. Australia were without Thanasi Kokkinakis, who was forced to withdraw from the Finals with an ankle injury.

Persons: deportes Martin, Matthew Ebden, Max Purcell, Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka, Adam Pavlasek REUTERS, Violeta Santos Moura, Jiri Lehecka, Adam Pavlasek, Alex de Minaur, I've, Ebden, Alex, Tomas Machac, Jordan Thompson, Lleyton Hewitt's, Thompson, Machac, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Lehecka, De, De Minaur, that's, I'm, Novak Djokovic's, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Toby Davis Organizations: Australia, Palacio, deportes, deportes Martin Carpena, Czech, Rights, Davis, Novak Djokovic's Serbia, Thomson Locations: Czech Republic, Malaga, Spain, Australia, Finland, Canada, United States, Friday's, Czech, De Minaur, Italy, Netherlands, Thursday's, Bengaluru

☆ Novak Djokovic wins record seventh ATP Finals title after defeating Jannik Sinner to cap stunning year for world No. 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Novak Djokovic won an outright record seventh title at the ATP Finals on Sunday, defeating Jannik Sinner 6-3 6-3 in Turin, Italy. The victory capped off a stunning year for Djokovic, adding to the grand slam titles he won at the Australian, French and US Opens. “Playing Sinner tonight in front of his home crowd and the way I finished the tournament and finished the season is amazing,” Djokovic told reporters. 4 Sinner had beaten Djokovic earlier in the tournament but the Serbian star was comfortably the better player in Sunday’s final. Now, the 24-time grand slam champion can begin to turn his attentions to next year’s lofty goals.

Persons: CNN — Novak Djokovic, Jannik, “, ” Djokovic, Sinner, Djokovic, Novak, Roger Federer, that’s, Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, I’ll, you’re, ” Organizations: CNN, ATP, Djokovic, Paris, Wimbledon, ” Locations: Turin, Italy, Serbian, Sunday’s, Danish

☆ Sinner digs deep to down Djokovic in ATP Finals cracker
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sinner has enjoyed his best year on Tour and now has 59 match wins in 2023, but none would have given him more pleasure than taking down six-time ATP Finals champion Djokovic. "In the second set tiebreak he played a bit better than me but I think I was brave in the big moments. Sinner made his move at 5-5 in the opening set as Djokovic briefly lost focus after leading 40-0 on serve. A double-fault at deuce was cheered by the crowd and Sinner then converted the break with two punishing backhands. When Sinner then moved 6-5 ahead on serve, Djokovic sat in his chair and conducted the jeers before a calm service hold sent an epic tussle into a shoot-out.

Persons: Novak Djokovic's, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Holger Rune, deafening, Rune, Djokovic, Hubert Hurkacz, Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, backhands, Martyn Herman, Toby Davis Organizations: ATP, Group, Wimbledon, Amazon, Thomson Locations: TURIN

☆ Djokovic looking forward to Paris Olympics in hectic 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The world number one also made the Wimbledon final earlier this year, where he was beaten in five sets by Carlos Alcaraz, and he is in no mood to slow down. "It's going to be challenging for players, but my plan is to play the Olympics, because it's one of the most important events in the history of the sport. That's where you also represent the country and the feeling of being part of it is a huge honour." Djokovic missed Serbia's 3-0 victory over South Korea in the Finals group stage this week as he was travelling, but is likely to feature against a Spain side missing Alcaraz on Friday. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in BengaluruOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Novak, Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Roland Garros, Shrivathsa Sridhar Organizations: Wimbledon, Olympic Games, Davis, U.S, U.S ., South, Thomson Locations: VALENCIA, Beijing, London, Rio, Tokyo, Serbian, Valencia, Wimbledon, South Korea, Spain, America, Bengaluru

NEW YORK (AP) — Alexander Zverev felt he had to react when he heard a fan use language from Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime during his U.S. Open match. That made the ejection of the Zverev fan — who was not arrested — an easy decision. Less clear is a situation like the Djokovic fan, whose behavior is normal at a basketball or football game, where spectators don't hold their applause until play has stopped. “Again, if the rule one day is going to change, I’m not going to argue against this anymore, because that’s the rule,” Medvedev said. It’s the rule.”Tiafoe advocates tennis encouraging fans to cheer and move around freely, like team sports.

Persons: — Alexander Zverev, Adolf Hitler's Nazi, Zverev, “, ” Zverev, Novak Djokovic's, Taylor Fritz, Djokovic, ” Djokovic, You’ve, ”, Arthur Ashe, Victoria Azarenka, ” Frances Tiafoe, It's, Daniil Medvedev, Laura Siegemund, Coco Gauff, Medvedev, I’m, ” Medvedev, Azarenka Organizations: U.S, U.S ., Labor, Azarenka Locations: Miami, South, ”

☆ All hail Alcaraz as he ends Djokovic's long Wimbledon reign in thriller
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Pritha Sarkar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

It's great to win ... making history in this beautiful tournament," Alcaraz said as he cradled the trophy during the presentation ceremony. [1/7]Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning his final match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic. At 3-3, Djokovic was left rolling on the turf after he stumbled over while chasing down one such effort. The chants of "Carlos, Carlos, Carlos" rose to a crescendo when, at 3-1 up in the third set, Alcaraz stretched Djokovic to 13 deuces before finally breaking on his seventh break point in a mental and physical battle that dragged on for 26 minutes. "You played maybe once or twice before this year's Wimbledon on grass and it's amazing just what you did."

Persons: Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic's, Boris Becker, Alcaraz, Novak, James Bond, Daniel Craig, Margaret Court's, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Toby Melville, Alcaraz volleyed, Fergus Murphy, Carlos, I'd, Pritha Sarkar, Toby Davis, Ken Ferris Organizations: Wimbledon, England, Court, REUTERS, Serbian, U.S, Thomson Locations: Serbian, hurtling

☆ Djokovic relieved to survive Rublev dogfight
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic's celebration after finishing off Andrey Rublev in a high-octane Wimbledon quarter-final said it all on Tuesday. Like Rublev, Sinner will go after the 36-year-old Djokovic with his aggressive game and the Serbian will need no reminding that he trailed Sinner by two sets in last year's quarter-finals before reeling him in. "He (Sinner) likes to play on grass. He likes to play on quick surfaces because he likes to be aggressive and take control of the point," said Djokovic. "From both forehand and backhand, he's smashing the ball really, really hard.

Persons: Novak, Andrey Rublev, Djokovic, he's, Martyn Herman, Ken Ferris Organizations: Wimbledon, Thomson Locations: Serbian

☆ Player safety key, organisers say, after Centre Court roof delay
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Wimbledon organisers defended their Centre Court roof policy on Tuesday after Novak Djokovic's opening match suffered an 80-minute delay after a rain shower made the grass too slippery. "Every care is taken by the Championships Referee when checking the courts are fit for play following a rain delay, as player safety is our top priority," a statement said. "In this instance, Centre Court took longer to dry than anticipated. Furthermore, given indications that the rain was due to stop imminently, the decision was taken to resume play with the roof open. Defending women's champion Elena Rybakina was scheduled first on Centre Court and the match is likely to be played with the roof closed throughout.

Persons: Novak Djokovic's, Djokovic, Pedro Cachin, Elena Rybakina, Martyn Herman, Ed Osmond Organizations: Wimbledon, Argentine, Court, Thomson

☆ King Federer back in town as Alcaraz and Rybakina shine at Wimbledon
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Retired Swiss great Federer ditched his racket for a classy cream blazer and a comfy seat as the eight-time Wimbledon champion graced the Royal Box and received possibly the longest ovation of his illustrious career. But Federer missed Spanish phenomenon Alcaraz, the 20-year-old who has taken the tennis world by storm. "I'm really happy with the level that I played, with the performance today," Alcaraz told reporters, although he was not so happy that Federer missed his match. RYBAKINA RECOVERSKazakhstan's Rybakina, the third seed, looked in danger of becoming the first Wimbledon women's defending champion to suffer a first-round exit since Steffi Graf in 1994 when American Rogers took the opening set. Admitting the watching Federer had made her nervous, she shrugged off that poor start to win in style.

Persons: Cameron Norrie, Czech Republic Tomas Machac, Dylan Martinez, Federer, Frenchman Chardy Jabeur, Sabalenka, Roger Federer, Alcaraz, Elena Rybakina, Shelby Rogers, Andy Murray, Ryan Peniston, Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, I'm, RYBAKINA, Kazakhstan's Rybakina, Wimbledon women's, Steffi Graf, Rogers, I've, Rybakina, Poland's Magdalena Frech, Novak Djokovic's, Panna Udvardy, Tomas Machac, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Ed Osmond, Ken Ferris Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Czech Republic, Czech Republic Tomas Machac REUTERS, Court, Swiss, Wimbledon, Poland's, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Swiss, British, Moscow, Bengaluru

☆ Leaf-blowers to the rescue at slippery Wimbledon
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Mitch Phillips | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 3, 2023 Groundstaff use leaf blowers to dry the court as the first round match between Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Argentina’s Pedro Cachin is suspended due to rain REUTERS/Andrew CouldridgeLONDON, July 3 (Reuters) - Frustrated fans were left wondering quite what was the point of Wimbledon's 80 million-pound ($101 million) Centre Court roof on Monday when Novak Djokovic's match was delayed for over an hour as ball boys took to using leaf-blowers to dry the grass. Defending champion Djokovic had just taken the first set 6-3 against Argentina's Pedro Cachin when light rain took the players off and led to the roof being slid into place - a process that takes 10 minutes. Fans and TV viewers expecting a quick resumption, however, were to be disappointed as, accompanied by tournament referee Gerry Armstrong, Djokovic patrolled the famous square of grass he has ruled for five years, dabbing a toe and a towel at areas he considered dangerously slippery. While play resumed on Court One, it remained suspended on Centre, until, somewhat bizarrely, the roof, completed in a blaze of publicity in 2009, was re-opened and the match resumed after a 70-minute hiatus. ($1 = 0.7883 pounds)Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, Argentina’s Pedro Cachin, Andrew Couldridge, Novak Djokovic's, Djokovic, Argentina's Pedro Cachin, Gerry Armstrong, Mitch Phillips, Ed Osmond Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

Djokovic won a record-extending 10th Australian Open in January - despite coming into the tournament with a hamstring issue - to equal Nadal's tally of 22 Grand Slams. An elbow injury forced Djokovic to pull out of the Madrid Open this month and he needed a painkiller during his quarter-final loss in Rome, but the 36-year-old is now back in shape. Djokovic, who starts against Aleksandar Kovacevic, said world number one Carlos Alcaraz was the "biggest favourite". Alcaraz and Djokovic are in the same side of the draw and could potentially meet in the semi-finals. Alcaraz won three titles on clay this year before his shock third-round exit from the Italian Open, but the Spaniard will be expected to resume normal service in his French Open first-round match against Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli on Monday.

☆ Medvedev beats Rublev in Dubai for hard-court hat-trick
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] ATP 500 - Dubai Tennis Championships - The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - March 4, 2023 Russia's Daniil Medvedev poses with trophy after winning his final match against Russia's Andrey Rublev REUTERS/Satish KumarMarch 4 (Reuters) - Daniil Medvedev continued his impressive form with a win 6-2 6-2 over compatriot Andrey Rublev in the Dubai Tennis Championships final on Saturday, claiming his third title in three weeks. In tennis when you don't win matches you have doubts. "I was really happy with these three weeks and I am looking forward to the next ones. "I think it's a good thing for Daniil that he's doing this, for his career, for his life, that he's achieving those things. Former U.S. Open champion Medvedev next travels to the United States where he will look to continue his winning run at Indian Wells from March 19 to April 2.

☆ Novak Djokovic's run to 22 Grand Slam titles
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian final on Sunday to win a men's record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title. Tally: Federer 13; Nadal 5; Djokovic 12009: Nadal won his first hardcourt Grand Slam title, edging out Federer in five sets in Australian Open final. Tally: Federer 16; Nadal 10; Djokovic 42012: Djokovic overcame Nadal in the longest Grand Slam final in Open Era to win his third Australian Open title. Nadal maintained his stranglehold on the French Open, before holding off Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final to move within one of Federer's Grand Slam haul. Tally: Nadal 22, Djokovic 21; Federer 202023: Djokovic won a record-extending 10th Australian Open title by beating Tsitsipas for his 22nd Grand Slam title, equalling Nadal's record.

☆ Novak Djokovic's run to record 23 Grand Slam titles
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Tally: Federer 13; Nadal 5; Djokovic 12009: Nadal won his first hardcourt Grand Slam title, edging out Federer in five sets in the Australian Open final. Tally: Federer 16; Nadal 10; Djokovic 42012: Djokovic overcame Nadal in the longest Grand Slam final in the Open Era to win his third Australian Open title. Tally: Federer 17; Nadal 14; Djokovic 72015: Djokovic won three majors - the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Nadal maintained his stranglehold on the French Open, before holding off Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final to move within one of Federer's Grand Slam haul. Tally: Nadal 22; Djokovic 21; Federer 202023: Djokovic won a record-extending 10th Australian Open title by beating Tsitsipas for his 22nd Grand Slam title, equalling Nadal's record.

Persons: Roland Garros, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Federer, Mark Philippoussis, Tally, Nadal, Mariano Puerta, Djokovic, Jo, Wilfried Tsonga, Pete Sampras, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych, Margaret Court, Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Sampras, Daniil Medvedev, Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini, Nick Kyrgios, Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Hardik Vyas, Jan Harvey Organizations: French, REUTERS, Wimbledon, U.S ., U.S, Nadal, Sampras, Djokovic, Roland Garros . Records, Roland, Federer, Melbourne, Flushing, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, PARIS, Swiss, U.S, New York, Flushing Meadows

☆ Djokovic's father won't attend semi-final after Russia flag controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Alasdair Pal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The video caused controversy in Australia, leading to the country's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday reiterating Australian support for Ukraine and criticising supporters of Russia's invasion. I had no intention of causing such headlines or disruption," Srdjan Djokovic said in an emailed statement. Albanese did not respond directly to the question about whether Srdjan Djokovic should be deported. Srdjan Djokovic was seen in some posts posing with the Russian supporters. Australian Open organisers on Thursday issued a reminder to players and their entourages about their policy on flags after the video of Djokovic's father emerged.

☆ Seeing Russian flags at Australian Open 'hurts', says Ukraine's Kostyuk
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 20, 2023 Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk reacts during her third round match against Jessica Pegula of the U.S. REUTERS/Sandra SandersJan 27 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk said on Friday it "hurts a lot" to see Russian flags at the Australian Open despite the ban on them and was surprised by the lapse in security that allowed spectators to display the flags in and around Melbourne Park. Novak Djokovic's father Srdjan said earlier on Friday he would not attend his son's semi-final against Tommy Paul after a video emerged showing him posing at Melbourne Park with fans holding Russian flags. Russian and Belarusian flags are banned from Melbourne Park during the Australian Open after a complaint from the Ukraine ambassador to the country last week. "It hurts a lot because there were specific rules, they were printed out outside that this is not allowed to bring flags," Kostyuk told reporters after bowing out of the women's doubles competition with Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Djokovic will continue his bid for a record-extending 10th Australian Open title and 22nd Grand Slam crown to match Rafa Nadal when he takes on unseeded American Paul later on Friday.

☆ Djokovic targets 10th Australian Open final, Paul looks to flip the script
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Fourth seed Djokovic, seeking a record-extending 10th Australian Open title, has been in dominant form in his return to the country, a year after being deported on the eve of last year's tournament for not being vaccinated against COVID-19. "I feel good on court, better and better as the tournament progresses," Djokovic said. "I've been in this situation so many times in my life, in my career, I've never lost a semi-final at the Australian Open. "It's important to me," said Paul, the first American man to reach the Australian Open semis since Andy Roddick in 2009. CROWD FAVOURITEStefanos Tsitsipas will make his fourth appearance in the semi-finals at the Australian Open when he takes on revitalised Russian Karen Khachanov.

☆ Djokovic's father seen posing with fans carrying Russia flags
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Australian Open organisers have issued a reminder to players and their entourages about their policy on "inappropriate flags" after a video emerged showing Novak Djokovic's father posing for pictures with fans holding Russian flags. Four fans with "inappropriate flags and symbols" were questioned by Victoria Police following Wednesday's quarter-final between Djokovic and Russia's Andrey Rublev. Late on Wednesday another video showed Djokovic's father Srdjan posing for pictures with fans holding Russian flags. Russian and Belarusian flags are banned from Melbourne Park during the tournament after a complaint from the Ukraine ambassador to the country. Russian forces have used the letter "Z" as an identifying symbol on their vehicles in Ukraine following the invasion.

☆ Rybakina takes down Azarenka to reach first Australian Open final
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The 22nd-seeded Rybakina was broken as she served for the set but Azarenka double-faulted to concede three match points in the next game, allowing the Kazakh to close out an emphatic win. Rybakina shrugged it off then broke Azarenka twice, repeatedly outrallying the powerful Belarusian. Running full tilt, she saved a set point with a forehand passing shot and put the pressure back on Rybakina. Though failing to land a first serve 11 times in succession, Rybakina saved three break points at 5-5 before momentum shifted again when Azarenka tightened up in the tiebreak. Rybakina wobbled when serving out the match, a double-fault coughing up three break points and opening the door for Azarenka.

☆ Hamstrung Djokovic, exhausted Murray look to soldier on at Australian Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The injury has clearly taken its toll on the 35-year-old Serbian, who dropped a set in the second round. "My situation with my injury is not ideal," said Djokovic, who took a medical timeout during his four-set win over French qualifier Enzo Couacaud. So I'm going to keep going. I'm going to try to play and compete with, of course, a great player Dimitrov." But one player who has defied belief in advancing to the third round is three-times Grand Slam champion Andy Murray.

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