World number one Novak Djokovic said on Wednesday he hopes rival Roger Federer will return to competitive action soon and be able to compete with the best again after the Swiss great said he would miss the Australian Open in January.
'My arm has been -- I have had an issue there for quite a while now. It has gotten bigger in the last couple of weeks, so I'm just trying to protect it.'
The five top contenders for the men's title at the Australian Open, which starts on Monday.
Nine-times champion Novak Djokovic says there are "positive signs" that his three-year ban on entering Australia will be waived so he can play at the next Australian Open in January.
Nadal believes he had no reason to feel alarmed ahead of the season's first Grand Slam starting in two weeks.
Bidding for a record-extending ninth Australian Open title, the world number one and double-defending champion remains the runaway favourite at his favourite Grand Slam where he once remarked that he felt touched by the "divine".
IMAGES from Day 5 of the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Thursday.
Greece's Tsitsipas battled back from 3-5 down in the third set to eliminate Medvedev with a 6-3, 6-7(11), 7-6(1) win to set up a showdown on Friday with Rublev for the Red Group's other semi-final spot.
Novak Djokovic's outstanding serving, mighty forehand and all-court defence delivered him a ninth straight win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in their Red Group match.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz sailed into the Paris Masters third round with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Yoshihito Nishioka but Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev both slumped to surprise losses on Wednesday.
Auger-Aliassime, now coached by Nadal's uncle and long-time mentor Toni who sat in his box, will face Fritz in his final group match with a chance of making the last four.
Friday's match was a straight shootout for a last-four place, with world number five Rublev the favourite having won his four previous matches against Ruud.
Federer, a 20-times Grand Slam champion and regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, announced last week that a persistent knee injury meant he was ending his 24-year career.
Indian tennis player Prajnesh Gunneswaran finish runner-up at the Orlando Open, losing the summit clash of the ATP Challenger event to American Brandon Nakashima, in Orlando.
Roger Federer brings down the curtain on his illustrious career later this week but the Swiss maestro has assured his millions of fans that he will not become a tennis ghost.
Rafael Nadal won two Grand Slams this year -- the French Open and the US Open -- to move within one of Roger Federer's record of 20 titles.
Rafael Nadal pulled off an incredible recovery from 1-5 and match-point down to overcome Russia's Daniil Medvedev at the ATP Finals.
Novak Djokovic split with his long-time coach Marian Vajda at the end of the 2021 season, ending one of tennis's most enduring and successful partnerships, the Serbian former world number one said.
18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz of Spain became the youngest to clinch an ATP 500 title at the same event on Sunday when he defeated Diego Schwartzman in the final of the Rio Open.
Rafael Nadal had just beaten rising Greek force Stefanos Tsitsipas in a classic scrap at the ATP Finals but had no idea whether it was good enough to keep him in the tournament.
Debutant Stefanos Tsitsipas crushed defending champion Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday to book his place in the last four of the ATP Finals with a match to spare.
A very different Australian Open comes to a familiar end on Sunday as Novak Djokovic looks to thwart another challenge to his Melbourne Park dynasty from the latest Grand Slam aspirant in Daniil Medvedev.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz retired injured against Holger Rune at the Paris Masters on Friday, sending his fellow 19-year-old through to the semi-finals, while Novak Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime also sealed places in the last four.
Djokovic saved a fifth match point but Thiem finally got the job done when he forced his opponent to float a defensive forehand over the baseline.
The Serb was knocked off top spot by Rafael Nadal on Monday despite winning the Paris Masters last week and will need a strong finish alongside the River Thames to snatch it back.
Factbox on Daniil Medvedev, who defeated world number one Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the US Open final on Sunday to win his first Grand Slam title.
Novak Djokovic, the world number one ranked men's player, has reiterated his stand about freedom of choice over taking the COVID-19 vaccine as suspense grows over his participation at the Australian Open in January.
'I guess I just put too much pressure on myself, aiming so high and I just have to take it step by step, not think too much about the future and be irrational'
World number one Novak Djokovic once again declined to reveal whether he has been vaccinated against COVID-19 and said he is unsure if he would defend his title at next year's Australian Open.
American great Pete Sampras said he does not expect any player to match Novak Djokovic's feat of winning the men's year-end world number one ranking seven times.
Muguruza seals semi-final berth, Pliskova beats Krejcikova at WTA Finals.
For the second time in three days at the ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal fought off one of the game's rising powers but beating Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas proved in vain as his semi-final hopes vanished on Friday.
Nadal, 31, pulled out of the Paris Masters before his quarter-final match last week after experiencing discomfort in his right knee during his third-round win over Pablo Cuevas.
In an interview last month after a World Tennis Tour event at the Greenbrier in West Virginia, they said they had not yet decided whether they were finished competing. Playing almost exclusively with each other throughout their 25-year careers, the Bryans captured a professional era record 119 titles, including 16 Grand Slam wins, 39 ATP Masters 1000s and the ATP Finals title four times.
Alexander Zverev booked his place in the last four of the ATP Finals where he will face world number one Novak Djokovic after a 6-2, 6-4 win over Hubert Hurkacz in Turin on Thursday.
A final decision is expected by March based on the hosting and COVID-19 contingency proposals received from bidders.
The events will be on single-year licence as the ATP offers professionals the opportunity to earn money and ranking points in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown.
World number one Novak Djokovic overpowered Dennis Novak after Dusan Lajovic battled past Gerald Melzer and Serbia went on to a 3-0 win in their opener against Group F hosts Austria in the Davis Cup Finals in Innsbruck on Friday.
'I spoke to Roger and Rafa a few days ago and we had a conversation about the near future of tennis. How we can contribute to help lower ranked guys who are obviously struggling the most.'
Rafael Nadal will become the first man to win 21 Grand Slam titles if he defeats the Russian in Melbourne.
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