Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal is currently in a tight spot in her bid for a Tokyo Olympics singles berth but a couple of good performances in the coming weeks can put her back in contention, her mentor Parupalli Kashyap said on Friday. Saina, a 2015 World Championship silver medallist and two-time Commonwealth Games champion, is racing against time to make the cut for her fourth successive Olympics.
Even in her wildest dreams 11th seed Angelique Kerber could not have imagined that by the end of the first week of this year's Wimbledon, she would be the highest ranked player left in the top half of the women's draw.
The novel coronavirus outbreak has affected their Olympic preparations but India's top athletes like P V Sindhu and Bajrang Punia say they are optimistic about the quadrennial event going ahead as scheduled despite the current health crisis. Olympic silver-medallist Sindhu says she can understand the apprehensions of fellow shuttlers, including compatriot Sania Nehwal, who is racing against time to qualify for the Games due to the cancellation of tournaments in the wake of the outbreak. The Olympic Games are scheduled to start in Tokyo, from July 24.
The 23-year-old, who this week became the first Australian woman to reach the top of the rankings since 1976, must survive a rough-looking path if she is to claim back-to-back Grand Slams having won her first at this month's French Open.
The 26-year-old is now the lone Indian survivor in the BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament.
The Australian Open has joined Wimbledon in introducing a final set tiebreak from next year's competition, following the "most extensive" consultation in the event's history, tournament director Craig Tiley said on Friday.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
India captain Virat Kohli will like to 'play for another 10 years' if he is able to train as hard as he is at this point of time in his career.
Could French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko serve up another shock at Wimbledon this year? Or will world number one Angelique Kerber get her season back on track at Wimbledon?
Roger Federer, who missed the French Open through injury, plays Guido Pella in the first round. Second seed Andy Murray faces an all-British first round against wildcard Liam Broady. Fourth seed Stan Wawrinka, Murray's prospective semi-final opponent, begins against American teenager Taylor Fritz.
Novak Djokovic dredged his tank of mental and physical resilience to claim a thrilling 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3) win.
With last year's French Open, her first Grand Slam title, under her belt, Simona Halep decided that 2019 would be "a chill year". Then, on Saturday, she stepped on to Wimbledon's Centre Court and obliterated the great Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 in 56 minutes to win the final.
At a time when Indian tennis fans are content with success in doubles competitions, few are aware that Vijay Amritraj was within grasp of the singles crown at Wimbledon.
'She's a fighter on the court. She's playing really great, especially on the grass. She's attacking that ball really well. She doesn't let anything limit her'
Rafael Nadal was kept on Centre Court longer than he would have liked but that did not stop him from putting baby-faced Alex de Minaur firmly in his place with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win in the third round of Wimbledon on Saturday.
'I'm feeling good...Expectations are always high. I am not here to play the tournament; I am here to try to have a good result'
Top seed Alexander Zverev crashed out in the second round of the Stuttgart Open, losing to world number 170 Dustin Brown.
India's top shuttlers have missed his court-side presence this year but national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand says he can't really help cutting down on travelling as that would come in the way of finding the next crop of world-beaters.
Images from the Wimbledon semi-final played between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on Friday
There was no rain break, no twilight five-set drama and no Wimbledon trophy on offer on Friday but none of that bothered ageless Swiss maestro Roger Federer. The only thing that mattered to the 20-time Grand Slam champion was that, unlike in his last grasscourt duel with Rafael Nadal 11 years ago, he had won the "crazy last game" which sealed his passage into a 12th Wimbledon final.
As far as Halep was concerned, her 6-1, 6-3 semi-final win over Elina Svitolina meant that her mother Tania will finally get to experience something she has been dreaming of for more than a decade.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis got past the Spanish pair of Anabel Medina Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja to move into the ladies doubles quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
Despite a slight waver following her win over Venus Williams, Cori Gauff has taken the attention in her stride so far at the All England Club.
Murray was coached by Lendl from 2011-14 before he rejoined his team in June last year, helping Murray capture his second Wimbledon title and his second Olympic gold in Rio.
After a semifinal finish at the All England Championship, ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal will now look to defend her title at the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold where she starts as the top seed in the women's singles competition.
'Yes, I fall over, but grass sometimes is slippery. Nothing happens. I am good, yeah. Nothing'
Federer was cheered on by his wife Mirka Federer and children Charlene Riva, Myla Rose, Lenny and Leo.
Saina Nehwal feels the year going by is one of the best of her career but rued that a series of injuries affected her chances of winning more titles.
Nadal set to face Kyrgios clash in second round
Halep's near-flawless display at the All England Club marked a spectacular return to form after her world ranking dropped from first to seventh between mid-January and July.
Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, arrived for the first day of Wimbledon on Monday with a dramatic new hairstyle to watch Andy Murray play his opening match.
Age-fudging has been a big problem in Indian sports
His great rival Roger Federer had already maintained his regal progress earlier on the showcourt and Serena Williams then followed with another thumping win.
Roger Federer's career-long association with Nike appeared to be over on Monday as the Wimbledon champion walked on to Centre Court to open the defence of his title wearing a Uniqlo branded outfit.
Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki has called for 23-time Grand slam winner Serena Williams to be seeded at next month's Wimbledon Championships ahead of the All England Club's meeting on Tuesday.
With her silver from Rio, PV Sindhu is already India's most successful female Olympian but her World Championship triumph also boosted the nation's hopes of a medal in Tokyo next year.
India's ace shullter Saina Nehwal put up a strong fight but went down 13-21, 21-13, 6-21 to World No 1 Tai Tzu Ying in Denmark Open final on Sunday.
The Bollywood star takes tips from the athlete she will play in Amole Gupte's biopic.
A look at the trends and the controversies at Wimbledon and it's very strict dress code.
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