Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
Former world number one Novak Djokovic showed signs of a return to form with an impressive 7-5, 6-4 victory over Japan's Kei Nishikori in the opening round of the Madrid Open on Monday.
Sticking to a limited schedule has helped Roger Federer enjoy a renaissance late in his career but the Swiss says rest time is now over and he is looking forward to returning to action at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart.
Amid rising speculation on who is going to partner Sania Mirza at the Rio Olympics, contender Rohan Bopanna says his sole focus now is to maintain his top-10 ranking till the French Open in June. While veteran Leander Paes has already said that he is the ideal partner for Sania, Bopanna said a lot of scenarios can play out before the Rio Games in August. "I will play all the big tournaments there are on the calendar before Rio, starting from Dubai to Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, Rome, French Open. The aim is to be in the top-10 till the French Open and we will see who can partner who, be it doubles or mixed doubles. So there is a long way to go before Rio," Bopanna told PTI on Friday.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
German fourth seed Alexander Zverev beat Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6(4) 6-2 on Friday to set up a Miami Open final showdown against big-serving American John Isner, who earlier overwhelmed Juan Martin del Potro.
Defending champion Naomi Osaka of Japan was upset 7-5, 6-4 by Belinda Bencic in the fourth round at the US Open on Monday as the Swiss reached the quarter-finals for the second time.
Having exchanged a few shots with a young prospect after an intense training session in searing heat at his own tennis complex in central Belgrade, the 30-year old Serb conceded that the last 18 months have been testing.
German tennis star Angelique Kerber, who has surged back to the world number one ranking by virtue of Serena Williams' injury, has said that the top spot is not really important for her.
Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki and former winner Maria Sharapova cruised into the third round of the Indian Wells WTA tournament with 6-2, 6-0 victories on Saturday.
The tournament will be Murray's third since hip surgery in January and mark his return to the hard courts for the first time since March 2017 at Indian Wells.
Juan Martin del Potro could be a 'nightmare opponent' for Rafael Nadal when they clash in the French Open semi-finals on Friday, according to former champion Mats Wilander.
First look: Tennis star Wozniacki meets Justin Beiber
Novak Djokovic barely got out of first gear but had more than enough in the tank to beat Briton Kyle Edmund 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the Miami Open on Friday.
Novak Djokovic claimed a fourth Wimbledon title in ruthless fashion as he beat giant South African Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(3) in the final.
Serena Williams has never been one to take too much notice of convention.
Grigor Dimitrov stood one win away from the biggest title of his career on Saturday after ending his Jack Sock jinx to reach the final of the season-ending ATP Finals at the 02 Arena.
Pliskova, a finalist at last year's US Open who reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells last week, relied on her booming groundstrokes and strong returning to dispatch her American opponent in 59 minutes.
Svetlana Kuznetsova has the versatility and mentality to mark her out as the 'best player' on the WTA Tour.
Images from Day 1 of the Wimbledon Championships.
'If I was a lady player, I'd go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were born.'
Form guide for American Serena Williams ahead of Thursday's US Open semi-final clash against Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova:
A summary of Sunday's matches at the French Open.
Former World No. 1 and Wimbledon champion has emerged as the surprised as the surprise candidate to take over Novak Djokovic's coach, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Serena Williams overpowered German Carina Witthoeft 6-2, 6-2 to set up a third-round clash with big sister Venus at the US Open on Wednesday.
A round-up of sports action from around the world.
Far from being a fading force, 12-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic has shown signs that he is emerging from the toughest spell of his career and is ready for a fresh start ahead of next week's French Open.
Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis progressed through to the quarter-finals of the Italian Open with a straight sets victory in the women's doubles event in Rome.
Top seed Serena Williams dropped the second set before bouncing back to beat compatriot Christina Mchale 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in second-round action at the Miami Open in Florida on Thursday.
India's number one singles player Prajnesh Gunneswaran beat Jay Clarke of Great Britain in straight sets to enter the main draw of the Miami Open, on Wednesday.
Rafael Nadal moved into the Miami Open semi-finals with a straight sets win over American Jack Sock on Wednesday.
The top seeded Indo-Swiss pair stormed into the final of the China Open, beating the wild card Chinese duo of Chen Liang and Yafan Wang 6-2, 6-3 in the semi-finals, in Beijing, on Friday.
Tennis star Stanislas Wawrinka has backed 18 time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer to become the oldest player in history to seal the world number one spot at the age of 35.
Polish fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska was the highest women's casualty at the Miami Open on Saturday, blown away for the second time this year by Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
Images from Friday's Indian Premier League match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils, at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai.
Serena Williams, who held all four of tennis's grand slam titles for the second time in her career and won 53 of 56 matches in 2015, was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine on Monday.
A winner of 12 Grand Slam titles, the Serb has suffered a noticeable dip in form since winning his maiden French Open last June, relinquishing top spot in the ATP rankings to Briton Andy Murray five months later.
Sania Mirza and her doubles partner Cara Black stormed into the finals of the Portugal Open with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over third seeded American pair of Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond in Oeiras, Portugal.
A floundering Novak Djokovic should seek advice from evergreen Swiss maestro Roger Federer in order to rediscover his vintage self, the Serb's former Davis Cup coach Bogdan Obradovic said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ace shuttler Saina Nehwal for winning the Australian Open Super Series event in Sydney, on Sunday.
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