Rediff staffer Anisha Ralhan pens this heartfelt tribute to the man who takes the numero uno spot in her life.
The first stop on Serena Williams' farewell tour came to a quick end as she fell to Belinda Bencic in second-round action at the Canadian Open on Wednesday a day after announcing her forthcoming retirement from tennis.
World number one Novak Djokovic and number two Rafa Nadal set up a mouth-watering men's singles final at the US Open with victories in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows on Saturday.
'I definitely think it's the time to just switch off from any future thoughts or any plans, any schedule. I've got absolutely no clue. Right now, no care in the world, I'm just loving life.'
It was a battle of wills out on court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Tuesday, with the proceeding stretching to nearly 5 hours -- four hours and 50 minutes precisely.
"I am many things: a son, a brother, and uncle, a friend, an athlete, a cook, an author, and being gay is just one part of who I am," said Boitano, the 1988 Olympic gold medallist in a statement. "First and foremost I am an American athlete and I am proud to live in a country that encourages diversity, openness and tolerance.
Novak Djokovic cruised past Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday to reach a record-equalling eighth Western & Southern Open semi-final in New York where he will face Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
When the match began it was Federer who surprisingly looked intimidated under the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights as he sprayed errors all around the court but the Swiss great woke from his slumber in time to turn the match resoundingly in his favour.
'I hope that as an association we make the best decision for our business, for our health, for the tournaments, for public.'
Some of the players' high-profile backers, including women's sports pioneer Billie Jean King and presumptive US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, leapt to their defence after news of their legal setback broke.
Reactions to Novak Djokovic winning his 20th Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon
Russia took an unassailable 2-0 lead over Croatia in the Davis Cup final in Madrid on Sunday to secure their third title and first in 15 years, as Daniil Medvedev outlasted Croatian Marin Cilic 7-6(7), 6-2.
Wimbledon champions and World No 1s Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams head the field for the men's and women's events at this year's US Open.
'I was trying to play every match like it was my last one. Trying to play best all the time' 'For me it is easy to practise and stay in this life but sometimes it is hard to compete'
"I really felt for Shafali Verma at the end, it was tough seeing her in tears but she should be very proud of the way she's performed in Australia," Brett Lee wrote in his column for the ICC.
Aryna Sabalenka bludgeoned her way to a maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Kazakh 22nd seed Elena Rybakina on Saturday in a thrilling final .
Serena 'out of line' but both sides share blame says King
The win makes her the oldest woman to reach the third round at the French Open since Billie-Jean King in 1982.
Serena Williams could easily walk off the court and into the broadcast booth if she wants to, pocketing a handsome paycheck and boosting ratings for a sport that is losing star power, those in the business say.
Novak Djokovic kept his unbeaten streak in 2020 alive as he survived a terrible start to defeat Milos Raonic 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the Western & Southern Open on Saturday.
Top seed Novak Djokovic made quick work of Tennys Sandgren at the Western and Southern Open on Tuesday, never dropping serve en route to a 6-2, 6-4 win over the American, while big-serving Milos Raonic enjoyed a straight sets win over Andy Murray.
'Leylah asking for the mic back to acknowledge 9/11 was one of the classiest, most empathetic, and mature things I've ever seen in a post-game moment ... and she's only 19. I'm blown away'
Images from Day 6 of the 2021 US Open in New York on Saturday.
The following is a timeline charting her rise to the top of the women's game:
Muchova, who came into the match against the 12th seed with a world ranking of 202, was understandably nervous from the outset but grew into the contest and eventually prevailed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 27 minutes.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US and Czech Lucie Safarova fought back from the brink of defeat to steal the US Open women's doubles title, 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 over the French top seed partnership of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic on Sunday.
Wimbledon's favourite son Roger Federer swapped his usual tennis whites for a dark suit and tie and was given a rousing standing ovation as he joined a number of Wimbledon champions dating back to the 1960s for Centre Court's centenary celebrations.
Novak Djokovic's bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title kicked off on Monday with an easy win over qualifier Radu Albot in the US Open first round.
Raymond Moore has stepped down as CEO and tournament director of the BNP Paribas Open following controversial comments he made about women's tennis, the tournament announced on Monday.
The US Open women's semi-finals scheduled for Thursday evening have been postponed due to the threat of rain.
Serena Williams, who had come into the first Grand Slam since in Auckland claiming her first title since becoming a mother, suffered an error-strewn 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 defeat by China's Wang Qiang in the third round at the Australian Open on Friday.
Romania's Italian Open winner Simona Halep, Spain's Garbine Muguruza and US Open semi-final foe Victoria Azarenka of Belarus present a major challenge for Serena Williams at the upcoming French Open.
The German sixth seed, who has not won a title since winning at Flushing Meadows last year, never got into the match against the 2016 WTA newcomer of the year.
Roger Federer and Serena Williams, holders of a combined 43 singles Grand Slam titles, will face each other for the first time on Tuesday when they feature in the Hopman Cup mixed doubles match.
Awesome images from the world of Sport 2018.
Serena Williams was sent spinning out of the Western and Southern Open by Maria Sakkari on Tuesday after the Greek rallied from a set down to beat the 23-times Grand Slam champion 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-1 and reach the quarter-finals.
Norway's Casper Ruud harnessed his mighty forehand to reach his second Grand Slam final this year by beating Russia's Karen Khachanov 7-6(5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 at the US Open, keeping alive his hopes of reaching the top of the world rankings.
A summary of Thursday's action at the US Open.
Andy Murray recovered from a slow start to beat Argentine qualifier Juan Ignacio Londero
Twitter lit up with reactions after Naomi Osaka defeated the American in a stormy final on Saturday:
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