A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
Physically extraordinary Djokovic is battle ready, asserts coach Agassi
Despite their up and down showing in the league stage, there is no doubt that England are one of the most complete teams in the World Cup and are heavy favourites for Sunday's final, but New Zealand won't give up without a fight.
Images from Day 4 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday.
Serena Williams started her quest to join Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova in joint fourth place on the career Grand Slam list with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over 18-year-old fellow American Taylor Townsend at the US Open on Tuesday.
England skittled out shell-shocked Australia for 60 and piled up 274 for four in reply to take control of the fourth Ashes Test on a dramatic first day at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
Australia captain Michael Clarke was in reflective mood on the eve of his final Test match against England at The Oval as he plotted a consolation victory to finish the series on a high.
Team India, set for a gruelling tour of Australia, looked in top gear as they practiced diligently during a nets session on the eve of the first Test in Adelaide on Monday.
Finally clinching an elusive Australian Open crown is Andy Murray's number one goal for the new year but the Briton concedes that his hopes of success at Melbourne Park may rest on champion Novak Djokovic having an off-day.
With Roger Federer missing due to injury, Andy Murray upset in the quarters and Rafael Nadal a fourth-round loser, Djokovic marches on in a quest for a 13th Grand Slam title without his familiar high profile rivals standing in the way.
The 92nd Annual Academy Awards hardly had any surprises up its sleeves. Here's a quick look at the winners.
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.
American tennis player Serena Williams is all set to make her comeback at the Australian Open, organisers confirmed.
Australia railed at suggestions their team resembled a 'Dad's Army' but the evidence supplied by the first four Ashes Tests against England suggests it was not an unfair moniker.
Pierre Paganini may be the most important reason Roger has the best record in men's tennis in the past 12 months.
Rafael Nadal's uncle, Toni Nadal, will step down as his coach after this year's ATP Tour, as he feels he has been sidelined by other figures in the player's entourage, he told an Italian tennis magazine.
Roger Federer produced a vintage performance to best Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 and move into the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
List of US Open men's singles champions since the Open Era began in 1968:
Yuki Bhambri and his New Zealand partner Michael Venus registered a straight sets victory on their Grand Slam debut, but Divij Sharan's Australian Open campaign ended in the first round, in Melbourne, on Wednesday.
A staggering number of athletes across sports seem to have found their best game in their 30s, 40s.
The draw for the first Grand Slam of the season was made on Thursday and the top seeds could face some early tests of their credentials when play gets underway in Melbourne on Monday.
Live tennis action is a fading memory during the coronavirus shutdown but 20,000 fans tuned in to watch old rivals Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray chew the fat on Instagram on Friday. Sitting on their sofas at home, the duo spent an entertaining hour reminiscing about some of the classics in their 36-match series, painful losses and even came up with the perfect tennis player.
'We are all members of a tennis paradise that this year improbably promises to last forever -- and we owe it in no small part to the two champions' parents,' notes Rahul Jacob.
The White House has said there is no evidence of a Trump-Russia collusion, hours after the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed that it was probing Russia's meddling in last year's presidential polls, including possible links between the Trump campaign and Moscow.
PHOTOS from day four of the Wimbledon championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on Saturday
Champion Novak Djokovic was unable to draw much support from the crowd at Rod Laver Arena during his 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 semi-final win over sentimental favourite Roger Federer on Thursday, but the Serb found vital friends in the weather and the net-cord.
Seeing world number 50 Mischa Zverev and wildcard Denis Istomin upset the top two players in the world at Melbourne Park shows more players believe they can take shake up the established order and that can only be good for tennis, says Roger Federer.
Bhupathi and partner Max Mirnyi advanced to the second round in the ATP Tennis Masters while Paes and Divid Rikl lost in the first.
The post-match press conference can be the bane of a player's life, especially when they have lost, but Roger Federer has found a way to use them to his advantage.
Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka won a battle of former girls' champions at the Australian Open by easing past Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday to advance to the fourth round at Melbourne Park.
Indian tennis ace Leander Paes is not at all surprised with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer dominating once again, saying the ageing duo continue to 'reinvent' themselves.
Paceman Steven Finn's five-wicket haul put England on the brink of a 2-1 Ashes series lead over Australia on Thursday with the tourists facing a desperate battle to avoid a humiliating third Test defeat.
Poignant ceremonies mark 60th anniversary of Munich air crash
'Nothing is confirmed yet either with anything, in regards to the captaincy, but if it works out that way and I am the next captain, then it's a lot of responsibility' 'Hopefully we can send Michael off on a high note at The Oval'
The 2nd major of the year, the French Open will start on the weekend. With the clay-court grand slam starting on Sunday, here is the list of French Open champions over the years
The charismatic 18-year-old Canadian has infatuated the New York crowds with his skill and on court panache that has made him the youngest man to make it into the fourth round of the US Open since American Michael Chang in 1989.
As India go in to the four-match Test series against Australia that commences in Adelaide on Tuesday, here is a factbox.
Moya, a former world number one, joined Nadal's team to work with his uncle Toni Nadal last December and has helped revitalise the 31-year-old's career.
