Iga Swiatek's maiden triumph at the US Open extended her lead to almost twice as many points as the second-ranked Ons Jabeur
'There was a lot of speculation about whether it was deserved. I accepted it, I moved on.'
The 34-year-old practised for an hour on Thursday evening at the Rod Laver Arena and his fitness was improving "little by little, step by step", sources close to Nadal told Reuters.
With Nadal and Federer both skipping the tournament, Djokovic's sensational exit on Sunday after hitting a line judge in the throat with a ball opened up the field for a younger cohort of players.
Djokovic was disqualified while trailing Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-5 in the opening set of their fourth-round tie on Sunday, striking a line judge with a petulant swipe of the ball.
Sweden and Novak Djokovic's Serbia took the two best runners-up spots and a place in the last eight by virtue of their better match win-loss records among the second placed sides throughout the group stages.
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.
World number one Novak Djokovic was sensationally disqualified in the US Open fourth round on Sunday after striking a line judge with a ball following a point during the first set of his match against Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic showed glimpses of his best form with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas as they took a 2-0 lead over Spain in the Davis Cup quarter-finals on Friday.
Serena will not be in the US team for the Tokyo Olympics
Djokovic dismissed suggestions he was under intense pressure to overhaul Nadal and Federer in their three-way race to become the greatest male player of all time.
Canada named rising star and world number 69 Denis Shapovalov in its squad to take on India in the upcoming Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie, scheduled in Edmonton from September 15.
Images from Day 11 of the 2020 French Open at Roland Garros, in Paris, on Wednesday.
'There have been a lot of ups and downs and I feel really happy, I've always kept belief'
Rafael Nadal returned to Roland Garros after his birthday celebrations and showed no signs of slowing up, railroading compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in the fourth round on Sunday.
Novak Djokovic is aware of Kei Nishikori's battling qualities having lost twice to the Japanese in 17 career meetings.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 2022 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Tuesday.
It was Roger Federer's fastest defeat since losing to Franco Squillari in 54 minutes in Sydney in 2003.
World number one Rafael Nadal recovered from an upset loss against Belgium's David Goffin to win the deciding doubles match and send Spain into the semi-final of the ATP Cup teams event in Sydney in the early hours of Saturday. Spain will now play host nation Australia in the inaugural event, while Serbia, led by world number two Novak Djokovic, take on Russia.
Johnson to meet Medvedev in Winston-Salem final
Rafael Nadal extended his astonishing winning run on clay to 42 consecutive sets as he reached the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open with a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Slovakia's Martin Klizan.
Nadal meets the 'new Nick' Kyrgios in fourth-round blockbuster
Novak Djokovic has suffered more than his fair share of heartache against Rafael Nadal at the French Open but Sunday's final offers him a chance to dethrone the claycourt king.
Holder Stefanos Tsitsipas moved into the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals with a 7-5 7-6(1) victory over Laslo Djere
Federer and Nadal had both opted out of this year's tournament, while Djokovic exited in the fourth round after an infamous swat of his racket sent a tennis ball into a line judge's neck.
Top seeds Leander Paes and Raven Klaasen of South Africa lived up to their billing and entered the semi-finals of the men's doubles event at the ATP Chennai Open with a hard-fought win over Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Saketh Myneni.
Spain's third seed Roberto Bautista Agut made a smooth entry into the men's quarter-finals at the ATP Chennai Open tennis tournament with a fluent 6-3, 6-2 win over German Peter Gojowczyk.
Stan Wawrinka outlasted Frances Tiafoe over three sets to set up an all-home quarter-final against compatriot and fellow veteran Roger Federer at the Swiss Indoors on Thursday. The 34-year-old Waewrinka, who won 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, will attempt to beat Federer for only the fourth time when they meet for their 27th clash on Friday in a dream tie for the Basel crowd.
Women's tennis's biggest names still remaining at the US Open take centre stage on Sunday with Grand Slam winners Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Garbine Muguruza and Petra Kvitova all appearing on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Tennis matches at the Ariake Tennis Park will begin from 3pm local time (0600 GMT) from Thursday, governing body International Tennis Federation said after requests from players who had struggled in the stifling weather.
While Medvedev said he was "lucky" he felt better and could continue his match to advance, Spain's Paula Badosa gave up.
Daniil Medvedev fired Russia into the final of the ATP Cup on Saturday with a tense 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over an injury-hampered Alexander Zverev after the German destroyed a racket in frustration over a lost service break.
World number one Nadal will meet Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's showpiece when he will target a record-extending 11th title in Barcelona a week after claiming the Monte Carlo Masters for the 11th time.
Top seed Rafa Nadal, who has won the tournament 10 times, also reached the last eight after dispatching compatriot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-1, 6-3 and claiming a record-extending 40th consecutive set on clay.
The second round match against Argentine Federico Delbonis lacked nothing in quality power tennis but was almost entirely devoid of drama and the most notable incident came late in the third set when the ball flew off top seed Nadal's racket and hit a ballgirl on the head.
He leads the men's seedings ahead of defending champ Roger Federer, with Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov seeded third.
The 38-year-old, who has lost six games so far in the tournament, dispatched his hapless opponent in only 62 minutes winning the second-round match 6-0, 6-3.
Jack Sock ended local favourite Julien Benneteau's run at the Paris Masters with a 7-5, 6-2 victory to reach the final and move to the brink of an ATP Finals spot on Saturday.
Top seed Roger Federer needed less than an hour to dispatch Benoit Paire 6-1, 6-3 and reach the quarter-finals of the Swiss Indoors tournament on Thursday -- treating his home fans to another masterclass.
World number one Novak Djokovic extended his winning run in Asia when he strolled into the last-16 of the Shanghai Masters.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances