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☆ Zverev beats Bautista Agut to advance into third round in Monte Carlo
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte-Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 12, 2023 Germany's Alexander Zverev in action during his round of 32 match against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut REUTERS/Eric GaillardApril 12 (Reuters) - Alexander Zverev continued to rebuild his confidence on clay with a 6-4 6-4 victory against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday. Zverev broke for 3-2 in the opening set and held serve to take the lead in the contest, before breaking again in the fifth game of the second set. Bautista Agut, however, stole the German's serve right back to level for 3-3, only for Zverev to take the decisive break in the following game. Last year's French Open Casper Ruud was also in second-round action against Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands. Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Djokovic recovers from stuttering start to reach Monte Carlo round three
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte-Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 11, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning his second round match against Russia's Ivan Gakhov REUTERS/Eric GaillardApril 11 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic briefly ran into a spot of bother as he fought his way into the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters with a 7-6(5) 6-2 victory against Russian qualifier Ivan Gakhov on Tuesday. The world number one, who had not played since early March when he reached the final in Dubai after being forced to skip Indian Wells and Miami because of his COVID unvaccinated status, struggled to find his range on the Monte Carlo clay before prevailing on a sunlit centre court. Djokovic was then business like in the second set, leaving no chance of a comeback for his opponent, who suddenly felt the court was too big for him. The double French Open champion, who suffered an opening-round exit here last year, will next face Lorenzo Musetti or the 16th seed's Italian compatriot Luca Nardi. Spain's Nadal, who triumphed a record 11 times at the Monte Carlo Country Club, is absent after failing to recover from a hip injury that has kept him away from the courts since the Australian Open.

☆ Thiem at full power after recovering from wrist injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The power wasn't there last year even when I started to win matches and played better. In the inner season the power wasn't there yet. The shots are there, the power is there like before, but I was using it wrong. There's full trust again in the wrist and the forehand." "I needed a coach right away so we decided to start the relationship and give it a try."

☆ Wawrinka seals comeback victory in Monte Carlo, Murray crashes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MONTE CARLO, April 10 (Reuters) - Former champion Stan Wawrinka rolled back the years to outlast Tallon Griekspoor 5-7 6-3 6-4 and reach the Monte Carlo Masters second round on Monday while Andy Murray's first appearance in the tournament since 2017 ended in a loss to Alex de Minaur. "It was really important to stay calm with myself," said 2014 champion Wawrinka, the oldest man in this year's field. Up next for the three-times Grand Slam champion is world number 10 Taylor Fritz. Murray gained direct entry into the prestigious tournament after several players including world number two Carlos Alcaraz and 11-times champion Rafa Nadal withdrew due to injuries. Francisco Cerundolo earlier stunned 11th seed Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-4 and will play Matteo Berrettini who downed Maxime Cressy 6-4 6-2 for his first win in the tournament.

☆ Djokovic returns to Tour seeking strong start to clay swing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I've done more training on clay, which is positive if you think about the clay season," said Djokovic, the 2013 and 2015 champion who meets Mackenzie McDonald or a qualifier first. "I've not had much success in Monte Carlo in the past two seasons. I haven't played great tennis here, so I'm hoping this year I can start the clay season better than previous years and build my form." Djokovic, who trains at Monaco, said home comforts could prove helpful is his quest for a record-extending 39th Masters 1000 crown at Monte Carlo. Quite a few top players reside in Monaco and use this club as a training base, Djokovic said.

☆ Nadal, Alcaraz and Auger-Aliassime to miss Monte Carlo Masters
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Monte Carlo is and has been a key event in my career, but unfortunately I will have to miss it again since I am still not ready to compete without the risk of getting injured. The Spaniard, who has won Monte Carlo 11 times in his career still hopes to be fit for the French Open in May, a clay court tournament he has dominated for years, having won there 14 times. World number two Alcaraz, who had an injury-plagued start to the season, was last in action at last week's Miami Open, where he was beaten in the semi-final by Italian Jannik Sinner. loading"After visiting my doctor today ... and being evaluated, I won't be able to go to Monte Carlo to start the clay court tour. "(I) decided it was the smartest decision to take some time off so I'm able to fully heal and recover before my next tournament at the Madrid Open," Auger-Aliassime wrote on Instagram.

☆ Nadal out of top 10 for first time since 2005
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

World number four Casper Ruud, who lost to Nadal in the Roland Garros final last year, said he would not be shocked to see the 36-year-old lift the trophy once again. "It wouldn't surprise me because he'll probably use these weeks and these months, as he's preparing for exactly Roland Garros," Ruud told Eurosport as part of the 'Ruud Talk' series. The only thing that's probably on his mind these days is just to be fit, be healthy and be ready for Roland Garros." Djokovic, who turns 36 in May, has shown few signs of slowing down and drew level with Nadal on 22 Grand Slams by winning the Australian Open. "The only tournament is Roland Garros: if Rafa is fit there, it's exactly the opposite.

☆ Media mogul Rupert Murdoch engaged to Ann Lesley Smith
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Helen Coster | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Tennis - US Open - Mens Final - New York, U.S. - September 10, 2017 - Rupert Murdoch, Chairman of Fox News Channel stands before Rafael Nadal of Spain plays against Kevin Anderson of South Africa. REUTERS/Mike Segar/March 20 (Reuters) - Fox Corp (FOXA.O) Chairman Rupert Murdoch is engaged to former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith, his spokesperson confirmed on Monday, which will mark the fifth marriage for the 92-year-old media mogul. Murdoch and Smith, 66, first met in September at his vineyard Moraga in Bel Air, California, and he called her two weeks later, Murdoch told the News Corp-owned NY Post, which broke the news of the engagement. Smith is a widow whose late husband was Chester Smith, a country singer, radio and TV executive. On March 17 in New York, Murdoch presented Smith with an Asscher-cut diamond solitaire ring, according to the Post.

The voting technology company made the eye-popping damages claim as part of its 2021 lawsuit, which alleges Fox destroyed its reputation by airing falsehoods. A Dominion spokesperson said in a statement that the evidence will show Dominion was a "valuable, rapidly growing business" when Fox began "endorsing baseless lies" about its machines. "Following Fox’s defamatory statements, Dominion’s business suffered enormously, and its claim for compensatory damages is based on industry-standard valuation metrics and conservative methodologies," the statement read. Four different pre-election valuations of Dominion in 2020 averaged $226 million, Fox said, citing exhibits that have not been made public. If the jury concluded that Fox defamed Dominion but decided Dominion's business losses were minimal, it could still hit the company with significant punitive damages.

☆ Defending champions Fritz, Swiatek headline Indian Wells main draw
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Facing a depleted men's field, Fritz could run into Denmark's Holger Rune in the quarter-final. Seventh-seed Rune also won his first masters title last year when he outlasted 22-times major winner Novak Djokovic in Paris. On the women's side, Swiatek looks as though she could have little trouble collecting a second straight title in the southern California desert after cruising to victory a year ago amid a blockbuster unbeaten streak. She has the chance to exact a little bit of revenge against potential fourth-round foe Barbora Krejcikova, after the 2021 French Open winner ended her 13-match winning streak in Dubai last month. Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Djokovic happy with injury recovery despite semi-final exit in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

World number one Djokovic suffered a three-centimetre hamstring tear en route to winning the Adelaide Open before claiming his 22nd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open to go level with Rafa Nadal. The 35-year-old Serbian had a solid run at the ATP 500 event in Dubai before he lost 6-4 6-4 to Medvedev. I know that I didn't play well in some decisive moments, but it was also due to his quality of tennis," Djokovic told reporters. If that's the case, I'll take some time off, I'll prepare," he said. Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nadal withdraws from Indian Wells due to injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Three-time champion Rafa Nadal has withdrawn from the Masters 1000 event starting next week in Indian Wells due to injury, tournament organisers said on Tuesday. The 36-year-old Spaniard, who was a runner-up last year in Indian Wells, has not competed since his Australian Open title defence in January ended in a second-round defeat during which he aggravated a hip problem. "We wish Rafa continued healing, and hope to see him back at the BNP Paribas Open next year," tournament director Tommy Haas said in a statement. Nadal won at Indian Wells in 2007, 2009 and 2013. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Chopra and Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Djokovic 'pain free' as he prepares for return in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic said he was now playing without pain after recovering from a hamstring injury as he prepares to return to the ATP Tour in Dubai this week following his record-extending 10th Australian Open title last month. The 35-year-old Serb said his Dubai participation was in doubt until a few days ago but he had passed all his fitness tests. The last few days it's really getting as much practice as possible to get myself back in shape to be able to compete at a high level," Djokovic said. Djokovic begins the Dubai tournament having entered his 378th week as world number one, surpassing Steffi Graf as the player with the most weeks at the top of the sport. "It's surreal to be that many weeks number one, to match Graf - one of the all-time greats," Djokovic said.

☆ Sky's the limit for Djokovic after matching Graf, say younger rivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian world number five Andrey Rublev said Djokovic had shown that anything is possible. "And at the age of 35, he still can be the best player in the world and break records," Rublev, 25, who lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-finals, told reporters in Doha. "If you do the things right, you can perform at the highest level ... age doesn't matter. Former world number two Alexander Zverev said Djokovic had shown how consistent he can be by dominating his rivals in the last decade. However, Zverev said that watching Graf being overtaken would be bittersweet for him.

☆ Netflix exec reveals sports ambitions and what's next for live sports as golf series 'Full Swing' debuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Formula 1 racing saw a boost in TV viewership and fandom since Netflix began streaming docuseries "Drive to Survive." Amid a boom in sports docs, the streamer has tennis series "Break Point" and golf-centered "Full Swing." Netflix unscripted TV head Brandon Riegg spoke to Insider about the streamer's ambitions in live sports. "I wouldn't be surprised," Netflix VP of unscripted and docuseries Brandon Riegg told Insider ahead of the "Break Point" premiere. Also in the works are series on the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the Six Nations rugby tournament.

The United States has in place a vaccine requirement for foreign air travellers that is not expected to be lifted before main draw action kicks off on March 9. Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas recently said that it would be a "disgrace" if Djokovic was not allowed to compete at Indian Wells and other tournaments in the United States this year. read moreHaas said Indian Wells organisers would do everything to help Djokovic's chances of playing. Even if Djokovic is unable to compete at Indian Wells there will still be plenty of talent on show. Spanish great Rafael Nadal, teenage world number two Carlos Alcaraz and defending champion Taylor Fritz were among those named on Wednesday's entry list.

☆ U.S. sweep Uzbekistan in Davis Cup qualifiers, Sweden and France through
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

With 24 nations competing in the qualifiers this weekend, the 12 winning teams will qualify for the Davis Cup Finals group stage in September alongside 2022 champions Canada and runners-up Australia. Denis Kudla then stepped on court for his Davis Cup debut in the third singles rubber to beat Amir Milushev 6-4 6-4 to seal a 4-0 victory for the record 32-times Davis Cup winners in Tashkent. And I'm already looking forward to the finals," Mikael said. Playing in Davis Cup means a lot for me because it's an unbelievable competition and I'm very proud of myself today," said debutant Humbert, who had also won his first singles rubber on Friday. Serbia also qualified after Nikola Cacic and Filip Krajinovic won their doubles match 6-4 3-6 6-3 against Norway to give their team a 3-0 lead.

☆ Djokovic played Australian Open with 3cm tear in hamstring, says Tiley
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 1 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic played with a three-centimetre (1.2 inches) tear in his hamstring during his run to a record-extending 10th Australian Open title, tournament director Craig Tiley said on Wednesday. "This guy I did see, he had a three-centimetre tear in his hammy," Tiley told SEN Sportsday. "He's so focused on everything he does, with every single minute of the day," Tiley added. He's been through a lot and to win 10 Australian Opens, I don't think that's ever going to be repeated... He'll hold a significant place in the history of the Australian Open."

☆ Australian Open sets Grand Slam attendance record
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 31 (Reuters) - The Australian Open set a Grand Slam attendance record with more than 900,000 spectators visiting over three weeks, organisers said on Tuesday, despite the absence of some big-name players and schedule disruptions due to rain. A record 839,192 fans flocked to Melbourne Park from Jan. 16-29 for the first tournament in two years free of COVID-19 restrictions, beating the previous mark of 812,174 set in January 2020. The figures eclipse last year's attendance numbers at other Grand Slam main draws - 515,164 visited Wimbledon, 613,500 were at the French Open and 776,120 went to the U.S. Open. The tournament, missing the retired Serena Williams, Roger Federer and last year's homegrown champion Ash Barty, broke its single-day attendance mark with 94,854 fans visiting on Jan. 21. Novak Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday to win his 10th Australian Open crown, drawing level with Rafa Nadal on 22 majors, and reclaim the world number one rankingAryna Sabalena won her first Grand Slam title with victory over Elena Rybakina on Saturday.

☆ Fire still burning, Djokovic and GOAT debate move on to Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While the blue courts of Melbourne Park are undoubtedly Djokovic's domain, the red clay courts of Roland Garros are the preserve of Spaniard Nadal, the other open-era GOAT contender along with 20-times Grand Slam champion Roger Federer. Federer is now retired and sent his congratulations to Djokovic on Instagram - "Incredible effort, again!" The 36-year-old is confident he will recover from the hip flexor issue he sustained at the Australian Open in time to drag his battered body to Paris in May in a bid for a 15th French Open title. And, despite a hamstring issue that hindered him throughout the year's first Grand Slam, Djokovic left little doubt that he would also be there trying to win major number 23. I know that when I'm feeling good physically, mentally present, I have a chance to win any slam against anybody.

☆ The Head and the Heart of Novak Djokovic
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Jason Gay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Who’s surprised? Not him, really. Not the latest vanquished soul on the other side of the net. Novak Djokovic prevailing as champion of the 2023 Australian Open was as assured a result as tennis offers. The most comparable outcome is Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, but lately those titles have had twinges of intrigue— could this be the year Rafa finally slips on the clay?

☆ Novak Djokovic Wins the Australian Open, His 22nd Major Title
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MELBOURNE, Australia—It took nearly two years, but Novak Djokovic has resumed normal service. He is an Australian Open champion again. On Sunday, Djokovic capped a two-week display of total mastery and brutal efficiency by beating No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to win the 10th Australian Open of his career. The victory also secured a 22nd major title for Djokovic, 35, tying the all-time men’s record held by 36-year-old Rafael Nadal and leaving the retired Roger Federer two behind them.

☆ Emotionally drained Djokovic savours happy end to difficult fortnight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"When I went into my box, I emotionally collapsed there and teared up with my mother and my brother when I gave them a hug," Djokovic told reporters. Djokovic senior skipped his son's semi-final against American Tommy Paul and was also absent from the title clash. We both agreed it would probably be better that he's not there," Djokovic said. I saw him after... though he was happy to hug me, I could see he was a bit sad. If it's going to be better for me... that he's not in the box, then so be it.

☆ Djokovic beats Tsitsipas for 10th Australian Open, 22nd Slam
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Serbia's Novak Djokovic is presented with the trophy by former player Ken Rosewall after winning his final match against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas. Djokovic stretched his unbeaten streak in Melbourne to 28 matches, the longest run there in the Open era, which dates to 1968. Djokovic was participating in his 33rd major final, Tsitsipas in his second — and the 24-year-old from Greece's other one also ended in a loss to Djokovic, at the 2021 French Open. Little doubt this is of no solace to Tsitsipas, but there is no shame in failing to defeat Djokovic in Melbourne. Still, Srdjan Djokovic did not attend his son's semifinal or the final.

☆ 'I am born a champion', says beaten Grand Slam dreamer Tsitsipas
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In a rematch of the 2021 French Open decider, Tsitsipas lost 6-3 7-6(4) 7-6(5) as the Serbian claimed a record-extending 10th Australian Open and 22nd Grand Slam title to match Rafa Nadal . Though falling short again in his goal of becoming Greece's first Grand Slam champion and world number one, Tsitsipas was philosophical in defeat. I really, really want it badly. Despite a fine fortnight at Melbourne Park, third seed Tsitsipas was short of his best in the final, though loath to admit it. Tsitsipas praised Djokovic as "the greatest" to hold a racket in his runner-up speech.

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