Second seed Rafael Nadal said he would make no excuses after his shock loss to American Frances Tiafoe in the US Open fourth round Monday, despite a serious abdominal injury that derailed his run-up to the year's final major.
From the passion of MotoGP champions to the intensity of football pitches and the elegance of synchronised swimming, this collection of images captures unforgettable moments in sports and beyond.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz sailed into the Paris Masters third round with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Yoshihito Nishioka but Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev both slumped to surprise losses on Wednesday.
How Nadal surpassed the haul of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Nadal had said that he did not know if he would be fit to play against Australian Kyrgios, after appearing close to retiring mid-match against Fritz on Centre Court.
A true legend of the game who paved the way and taught so many of us how to be as a player and as a person.
Novak Djokovic reclaimed the world number one ranking from Carlos Alcaraz
Nadal appeared close to retiring mid-match on Wednesday on Centre Court but he found the will to beat Fritz
Nadal fought from two sets down to defeat Medvedev in a five-set thriller at Rod Laver Arena.
Rafael Nadal is the oldest title winner in the history of the clay-court tournament.
Nadal was able to see the funny side and kept on laughing.
'What a heart, what a mindset, what guts, what everything, what a REFERENCE you are! I'm at your feet!'
With world number four Ruud already assured of a semi-final berth the match was in reality a dead rubber.
Nadal struggled with the problem in the build-up to the year's first Grand Slam
Mirra Andreeva became the youngest player to win a WTA 1000 title when the 17-year-old beat Clara Tauson in the Dubai Tennis Championships final
Nadal has won the Australian and the French Open back-to-back and has the chance to become the first man to win all four majors in the same year
Nadal to make injury return at Madrid Open
World No 1 Djokovic on Sunday won his sixth Wimbledon title. With this win, Djokovic now has 20 Grand Slams to his name and he is now equal with Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer and Nadal.
Images from Day 6 at the French Open, at Roland Garros, in Paris, on Friday.
Zverev twisted his ankle as he tried to retrieve a shot in the 12th game of the second set
Denis Shapovalov said his Australian Open quarter-final opponent Rafael Nadal "100%" receives preferential treatment from officials and benefited from favouritism during the Spaniard's five-set victory on Tuesday.
Cameras captured heartwarming moments of Rafa Jr. cheering from the stands alongside Nadal's wife, Maria Francisca Perello.
Images from Day 3 of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.
Jabeur advances to first WTA 100 final in Madrid in style.
Nadal said he did not expect to go all the way at Melbourne Park
'I think I played a great first set, one of the best of the claycourt season, in my opinion. No mistakes, high intensity, winners, playing long'.
Novak Djokovic is ready to challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the Grand Slam stage when he returns to action at the Australian Open after an underwhelming campaign this year, the 24-times champion said.
Rafael Nadal beat new world number one Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-3 in a rematch of their Australian Open clash to storm into the final of the ATP 500 event in Acapulco on Friday.
Nadal was the favourite and top seed having lifted the Barcelona Open trophy last month but played below par on a sweltering spring day.
'He told me that (I had) a great run, and I told him again, 'bravo'.'
A summary of Thursday's action at the US Open.
Top seed Rafael Nadal beat American qualifier Maxime Cressy 7-6(6), 6-3 to win the Melbourne Summer Set 1 ATP 250 event and build up momentum heading into the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic, who won Wimbledon to take his major singles titles to 21, has opted not to be vaccinated against COVID-19. He said on Thursday he could not fly to New York for the year's final Grand Slam.
A defiant Rafael Nadal won an all-Spanish clash of the generations taming teenager Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to stretch his winning run to 20 matches on Saturday and clinch a place in the Indian Wells final. He will take on American Taylor Fritz in Sunday's championship in the California desert where a victory would see the 35-year-old equal Novak Djokovic's record of 37 ATP Masters 1000 titles.
Let battle commence, says Djokovic ahead of Nadal showdown
Images from the French Open quarter-final between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros on Tuesday.
Nadal has traditionally started his French Open campaigns with at least one claycourt title under his belt but this year got to the French capital empty-handed.
Daniil Medvedev will play Rafael Nadal for the Australian Open title on Sunday after a stirring victory over Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-final on Friday.
He received the honour from Diaz Ayuso, the President of the Community of Madrid.
Medvedev squandered a two-set lead against Nadal in their previous meeting in the Melbourne final in January, allowing the Spaniard to clinch his 21st Grand Slam title.
