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”
American wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy made sure people will remember his name after a courageous four-set defeat by Novak Djokovic during a busy night session as the opening round continued. Nick Kyrgios’ aspirations for a splash at his home tournament were expertly extinguished by another young upstart in Jacob Fearnley on a day where Alex Michelsen and Belinda Bencic thrived. Continue reading “AUS OPEN 25: Basavareddy bold in defeat, Fearnley foils Kyrgios while Tsitsipas out”
Taylor Fritz had an interesting line post-match after a seemingly straightforward 6-4, 6-4 win over China’s Zhizhen Zheng in the United Cup, saying: “I started to believe my average level would be enough to beat many top guys, feeling back in the flow again from the end of last season,” an ominous sign given how well he was performing in the second-half of 2024. Continue reading “United Cup: Fritz feeling in the groove, Rybakina to watch as AO prep continues”
Joao Fonseca began 2024 ranked #730 and a year later, the Brazilian teenager finishes it inside the world’s top 150, with a freshly-earned $525k (£422k) in prize money after going unbeaten in the Next Gen Finals before declaring he’s got an ultimate goal to achieve: emulating four-time Major champ Carlos Alcaraz and current no. 1 Jannik Sinner by becoming the world’s best player. Continue reading “Joao Fonseca just getting started, after clinching Next Gen Finals title in Jeddah”
After an underwhelming campaign by his exceedingly high standards, 24-time Major champion Novak Djokovic declared a readiness to challenge the world’s top two players in Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at Grand Slams again as the scene of his most successful event returns centre-stage in Melbourne next month. At 37 though, is now too late for another late career renaissance? Continue reading “Djokovic defiant once more, but is he biting off more than he can chew?”
The two-time Major champion and former world no. 1 is right to feel aggrieved about the differences in treatment after her anti-doping violations compared to others like Iga Swiatek recently. However while she’s still attempting to build back to levels we’ve become accustomed to seeing from her, now 33 and with more than two years’ inactivity, it’s a more draining task than it once was. Continue reading “Halep’s right about Swiatek’s small ban but that won’t change her own past”
Jannik Sinner’s uneasy wait continues after WADA appealed his exoneration following two positive drug tests and now, five-time Major champion Iga Swiatek has accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) – the ITIA accepting contamination of a non-prescription medication (melatonin) she’d taken for jet lag and sleep issues. Continue reading “Iga Swiatek accepts one-month ban after testing positive for drug trimetazidine”
Jannik Sinner’s superb 2024 concluded with an impressive Davis Cup defence as he again led Italy, this time over an overachieving Netherlands side in Sunday’s final. Yet the 23-year-old admitted the off-court unknown surrounding doping accusations and his future has been heartbreaking as he awaits WADA’s appeal over being exonerated after two positive drugs tests for clostebol in March. Continue reading “Exhausting wait over doping appeal a sour note on Sinner’s sensational 2024 season”
After 36 matches between them at the pro level and a friendly familiarity spanning more than 20 years dating back to their days as aspiring teenagers, 24-time Major champion Novak Djokovic revealed a surprise update before 2025: hiring former rival and recently retired Andy Murray as his new coach – starting at the Australian Open, a Grand Slam he’s won a record 10 times. Continue reading “Murray excited, grateful before unique coaching role with former rival Djokovic”
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”
Jack Draper clinched his first ATP500 title in Vienna yesterday afternoon, capping a tournament which saw the retiring Dominic Thiem bow out from competition this week while Olympic bronze medallist Lorenzo Musetti and eventual runner-up Karen Khachanov produced runs on the indoor surface giving both renewed confidence they can exceed expectations in bigger events. Continue reading “Vienna: Draper clinches maiden ATP 500 title with straight-sets Khachanov scalp”
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