Penpix of the top men's contenders at the 2021 Australian Open
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday.
Novak Djokovic proved to be a calming influence throughout
Novak Djokovic kicked off his season in style with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Canadian talent Denis Shapovalov on his favourite Rod Laver Arena court on Tuesday before returning to lead Serbia to a doubles victory that sealed their ATP Cup opener 2-1.
Nick Kyrgios has likened Novak Djokovic to NBA player LeBron James in his influence both on and off the court but says he had a duty to call out the world number one when he "lost his way" during the COVID-19 pandemic.
World number one Novak Djokovic's French Open preparations were dealt with a blow as he suffered a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 defeat by Russian Daniil Medvedev in the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals on Friday.
Rafael Nadal claimed a record-stretching 12th French Open title by beating Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in a repeat of last year's final on Sunday.
American Serena Williams has also said that the dropouts will not take the shine off a potential record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title for her.
On a night of missed opportunities, the two-time champions rode on goals from Rafael Crivellaro and Nerijus Valskis in the 57th and 59th minutes respectively to pocket three points, which takes it to sixth in the points table with 15 points.
Matching Roger Federer's record Grand Slam haul will act as huge motivation for Rafael Nadal
Order of play on the main show courts at the French Open.
Federer beat Kyrgios for the third time in as many editions of the competition to take Europe closer to the 13-point victory target
Murky skies and drizzle could not dampen the enthusiasm of spectators arriving on Monday
