Images from Day 8 of the 2021 US Open in New York on Monday.
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, two players who have tasted the wrath of the New York crowd, begin their title campaigns with first-round matches at the US Open on Tuesday.
A rampant Rafael Nadal turned on the style to beat old rival Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-3 on Saturday and reach his first Italian Open final since 2014. The top-seeded Spaniard will face defending champion Alexander Zverev who overcame fourth seed Marin Cilic of Croatia 7-6(13), 7-5 in the other semi-final.
Novak Djokovic will begin his French Open quest feeling "invincible" on Monday, according to former world number one Boris Becker.
Novak Djokovic lost his momentum in the second half of last season and was toppled as the world number one by Andy Murray because his work-rate dropped, the Serbian's former coach Boris Becker said on Wednesday. Speaking a day after the two terminated their cooperation by mutual consent, German Becker said Djokovic's need to spend more time with his family had derailed him on the court.
Rafael Nadal overcame a temporary blip on his way to victory at the ATP Cup on Saturday
When it comes to the Australian Open the Serbian reigns supreme.
Novak Djokovic has no intention of passing the torch to the next generation just yet.
The 32-year-old, who has not played since retiring injured in the US Open semi-finals, cited an abdominal injury.
'As a father and a husband, experiencing a different variety of things in my life, it's a completely different approach to tennis today. I feel more fulfilled. I feel more complete as a player today than I was in 2011. Physically stronger, mentally more experienced and tougher as well'
Novak Djokovic stopped American Mardy Fish 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to win the Montreal Masters on Sunday, capping his competitive debut as world number one with a record-setting title.
Novak Djokovic chalked up his 800th career victory to reach the semi-finals of the Fever-Tree Queen's Club championships on Friday and suggested he could play on past his 40th birthday.
For someone who was the only man to beat world number one Novak Djokovic in a grand slam in 2015, Stan Wawrinka was indifferent about the attention on the feat heading into this year's Australian Open. Djokovic was virtually untouchable last year as he compiled an 82-6 win-loss record and won three grand slam titles as well as six of the eight ATP 1000 top-tier tournaments he played. Wawrinka, however, surprised the tennis world when he produced a barrage of backhands on the clay at Roland Garros to beat the Serb in the Paris final and claim his second grand slam title.
With his glinting gold wedding band looped around the black laces of left shoe, Andy Murray had been an unstoppable force on clay this season.
Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka rose to the occasion once again to beat Novak Djokovic with a scintillating display to win his first US Open and third Grand Slam title.
Novak Djokovic clawed his way to a two sets to one lead over great rival Rafael Nadal before their scintillating Wimbledon semi-final was paused on a knife-edge on Friday.
Top seed Novak Djokovic has been starved of competitive action at the US Open but on Sunday the World No 1 feasted on unseeded Briton Kyle Edmund in a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 romp that put him into the quarter-finals.
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic overcame a first-set spill to beat unseeded Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-4 6-1 in the third round at the Miami Open in Florida on Sunday.
The men's third seed entertained the crowd after his first round match with an impersonation of his friend Maria Sharapova.
Certainly the prospect of another showdown at the US Open in a few weeks is exciting, but whether or not 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic can stretch his career long enough to battle Carlos Alcaraz on a regular basis is questionable.
Novak Djokovic said Rafa Nadal had pushed him to the brink of exhaustion as his weary legs held him upright just long enough to see off the Spaniard in the longest Grand Slam final on record.
Images from Day 3 of the 2020 US Open in New York, on Wednesday.
Images from Day 10 of the 2021 US Open in New York on Thursday.
Andy Murray has been the standout performer on clay for the past 12 months but world number one Novak Djokovic will be favourite to complete his set of grand slams at this year's French Open. Murray, according to the ATP Performance Zone stats, has won 85 percent of his matches on the red dust this year and last, more than any other player. Having been at 70 percent for the first 10 years of his career, the improvement demonstrates just how at home the Briton now feels on a surface he once treated with suspicion. His victory over Djokovic in Sunday's Italian Open final may have been aided by his opponent's energy levels being drained after a gruelling semi-final win over Kei Nishikori the night before. But it also was a timely statement of intent from the world number two, who recently split with coach Amelie Mauresmo.
Novak Djokovic stunned defending champion Roger Federer 7-6, 7-5, 6-4 to reach his second Australian Open final on Thursday after a match of high emotion which threatened to boil over. The hard-hitting Serb, who captured his only Grand Slam title in Melbourne three years ago, clearly rattled Federer who exchanged words with him in the third set.
The five top contenders for the men's title at the US Open.
The Serb set up the breakaway PTPA on the eve of the US Open in September and resigned as head of the player council but last month he confirmed that he had been nominated by his fellow professionals for the current elections which he accepted.
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were named men's and women's world champions for 2015 by the International Tennis Federation.
Serbian world number two Novak Djokovic forced the Davis Cup final against holders Czech Republic into a decisive fifth rubber on Sunday with a 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-2 win over Tomas Berdych in the opening reverse singles.
A tired sounding Novak Djokovic says he will need to draw on all his mental and physical strength if he is to crown another stellar season with the ATP World Tour Finals title.
Novak Djokovic's muted celebrations after ending Rafa Nadal's reign as claycourt king were partly out of respect for his Spanish victim but mainly due to the fact the his French Open mission is far from accomplished.
IMAGES from Day 8 of the French Open at Roland Garros on Sunday.
Djokovic and Agassi are deep thinkers about the sport and McEnroe said that their partnership, however long it lasts, can be a meeting of minds
Champion Novak Djokovic did not bother with a practice hit before his showdown with Kei Nishikori and his "less is more" approach paid off with an easy 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win on Tuesday to set up a blockbuster Australian Open semi-final with Roger Federer.
Novak Djokovic completed a weather-interrupted 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory over fourth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer on Sunday to return to the men's final at Flushing Meadows in his pursuit of a repeat US Open title.
Images from the Friday's play at the Australian Open.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic trounced stand-in David Goffin 6-1 6-2 for a clean sweep of his group at the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday but spiced up a leisurely afternoon workout by picking a row with the umpire. The world number two, who will be joined in the last four by Milos Raonic after the Canadian beat Austrian Dominic Thiem 7-6(5) 6-3, began the week at London's O2 Arena quarrelling with a reporter and despite being relatively untroubled on court, there has been an edginess about the 12-times grand slam champion.
Novak Djokovic equalled Roger Federer's all-time record for most weeks as ATP world number one
Novak Djokovic will have coach Andre Agassi in his corner for as long as required at Wimbledon as the Serb tries to claim back one of his lost Grand Slam titles.
Novak Djokovic on Wednesday said it would be difficult to cut down on tournaments despite the leading men's players complaining that the packed calendar is shortening careers. After being forced to pull out of the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday, American Andy Roddick said governing body the ATP must give players a proper off-season.
