Analysis, features, news plus more – on European football and sports galore!
Losing to eventual two-time champion Jannik Sinner is no disgrace, though Australia’s brightest hope faded during the business end of another Grand Slam tournament. Having fallen short at the final hurdle against Sinner’s closest rival Carlos Alcaraz in their Rotterdam showpiece, the 25-year-old is now battling a select few contenders as the sport’s third-best to another duopoly. Continue reading “Alex de Minaur among many contenders looking to break the Sincaraz duopoly”
Lorenzo Sonego took on Joao Fonseca and a rowdy Brazilian contingent but emerged victorious during a busy day’s play, where four seeds fell but Iga Swiatek and Alex de Minaur won comfortably as Madison Keys kicked off the night session with a three-set victory before compatriot Learner Tien produced a thrilling display over five sets vs. three-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev. Continue reading “AUS OPEN 25: Sonego stifles Fonseca in five, Tien topples Medvedev in thriller”
Then there was one. Roger Federer held on as long as he could, pulling the curtain in 2022. Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have followed suit within months of each other during a whirlwind 2024 campaign seeing many of the younger generation assert themselves, while Novak Djokovic is the last man standing. His fiercest rival has said farewell and the sport far weaker for it. Continue reading “Adios, Rafa”
2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios confirmed he’ll make his long-awaited return to competitive tennis at this year’s Brisbane International tournament starting December 29 on the eve of an intriguing 2025 campaign. The electric Australian talent has suffered through career-threatening wrist and knee injuries, seeing him only play one ATP tour-level match in two years. Continue reading “Kyrgios poised for return, declares he’s feeling amazing after rough two-year spell”
The pre-US Open parties and media duties have been completed, top-ranked players spending valuable time on court practising and getting acclimatised to the conditions while the last hopefuls from across the globe battle out for a main draw qualifying berth are now set in stone. Today marks the beginning of the year’s final Major and with that, more questions than answers as usual. Continue reading “US Open 2024: Main draw analysis across both tours, as year’s final Major begins”
The world number one regretfully will miss this summer’s Olympic Games after listening to doctors’ orders advising him against travelling for the quadrennial event with tonsillitis, following reports in Italian media suggesting he’d travel later in the week before round one of singles begins on clay this weekend. Continue reading “Paris Olympics: Sinner withdraws with tonsillitis, Rune’s wrist forces him out too”
Back on Sunday afternoon, Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his title at SW19 and joined rarefied air as the sixth player to complete the Channel Slam – clinching both Roland-Garros and Wimbledon titles in the same season – as the Spaniard started fast, served well and finished assertively against a less-than-100% Novak Djokovic during their final rematch. How did he do it this time? Continue reading “Alcaraz asserts himself in straight-sets Djokovic win during Wimbledon final rematch – but why was this so different?”
On a day where defending champion Carlos Alcaraz fended off another tricky challenge in France’s Ugo Humbert to secure his seventh consecutive Major quarter-final berth, five maiden Wimbledon quarterfinalists were confirmed – headlined by New Zealand-Swiss qualifier Lulu Sun after an aggressive approach paid dividends to stun Emma Raducanu in their round four matchup.
Continue reading “Wimbledon 2024: Sun slices and sinks Raducanu in three, Sinner-Medvedev set”
Emma Raducanu endured an unpredictable start en route to a 7-6, 6-3 win over Mexican lucky loser Renata Zarazúa, as the 2021 US Open champion made a successful Centre Court return on a busy opening day packed with high-profile injury-enforced withdrawals – a trio of seeded women, including Australian Open titleholder Aryna Sabalenka. Plus, it’s likely there are more to come… Continue reading “Wimbledon 2024: Sabalenka, Azarenka among withdrawals as Raducanu prevails”
Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a puzzling third set collapse, one set away from a painful defeat. The 21-year-old composed himself once more and produced expert shot-making painting the lines in clutch moments to eventually outlast Olympic gold medallist Alexander Zverev in a four-hour battle of attrition between two first-time French Open finalists.
Continue reading “Alcaraz beats nerves and Zverev in five-set rollercoaster for maiden French Open title”
Although successful with ongoing tweaks, we’ve seen how divisive the introduction of VAR has been for football recently. Tennis needs something similar, all year-round, as the teething problems clear on clay – the biggest being incorrect line calls – continue to surface but the sport’s decision-makers would be wise to implement more transparent accountability for umpires too. Continue reading “Whether that be VAR or an officiating shakeup, tennis calling for a change soon”
A week removed from his long-awaited first Miami Open title, world number two Jannik Sinner is back among home comforts on the French Riviera with another Masters 1000 event already in full swing. Having reached the tournament’s semifinal stage twelve months ago, can the Italian surpass that achievement on his return to clay as the sport’s in-form player right now? Continue reading “Having made history Stateside, Sinner looks to eclipse last year in Monte-Carlo”
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