Serena Williams laid down an imposing marker ahead of the first grand slam of the year by powering to a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka at the Brisbane International.
Iga Swiatek, who beat American teenager Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in Saturday's final at Roland Garros, went from being a largely unknown 19-year-old, ranked 54th in the world, to instant celebrity status after lifting her first Suzanne Lenglen Cup 18 months ago.
Two-time winner Petra Kvitova and world number three Karolina Pliskova will be tough to beat at Wimbledon because the tournament's grass courts suit their games down to the ground, Serena Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou has said.
Serena Williams recovered from a set down to beat Australian Ashleigh Barty 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and book a place in the third round.
Former world number one Roger Federer retained his place at the top of the list of the world's highest paid tennis players for a 17th year despite not playing a match for nearly 14 months.
The 22-year-old French Open champion downplayed her chances following a 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 win over Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens in the opening round on Monday, telling the courtside crowd it would take a miracle for her to reach the final.
Serena Williams stayed on track for an eighth Wimbledon title as she fought back to beat Italian Camila Giorgi 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a fiercely contested quarter-final.
Iga Swiatek's maiden triumph at the US Open extended her lead to almost twice as many points as the second-ranked Ons Jabeur
In an interview with rediff.com's Bikash Mohapatra, Ivanovic talks about her success, those 'disappointing' years in between and her future expectations.
Serena Williams will face Maria Sharapova for the Australian Open title
Pliskova was down 5-1 against Williams in the final set before the seventh seed produced a fight-back for the ages to claim a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 quarter-final win over the American great.
Williams, who played an exhibition match last December in the United Arab Emirates, where she lost to French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, said in addition to working on her serve and returns, she needs to manage her time better now that she has her daughter in tow.
Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Andy Murray were the big names to win on Monday and advance to the quarter-final of the Wimbledon.
IMAGES from the PNB Paribas Open played at Indian Wells in California on Monday
Images from the Australian Open matches played on Tuesday.
The returning Scot also announced his withdrawal from next week's Rogers Cup in Toronto.
Novak Djokovic beat Casper Ruud in the French Open final to win a men's record-extending 23rd Grand Slam title.
Djokovic left little doubt that he would also be there trying to win major number 23.
Serena Williams played with fire at the French Open on Thursday but the world number one pulled through to the third round with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 win against unheralded German Anna-Lena Friedsam.
'Playing Serena Williams was a great feeling, a great experience and a greater learning experience,' says India's latest heart-throb.
Rediff.com presents how the sporting stars welcomed 2016 in style with glamorous pictures.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Holder Serena Williams survived her toughest challenge yet at this year's French Open as she battled into the fourth round with a 6-4, 7-6(10) win over Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic in a rain-disrupted match on Saturday.
'The Laver Cup next week in London will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in Grand Slams or on the tour.'
Images from Day 6 of the Australian Open in Melbourne, on Saturday.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the Australian Open in Melbourne, on Friday.
Serena Williams has buried the hatchet and will return to Indian Wells.
Despite boasting 34 Grand Slam singles titles between them, Serena Williams and Roger Federer were forced to share the spotlight with a 15-year-old at the US Open on Tuesday as all three advanced to the second round.
Serena Williams did not smile, celebrate or even acknowledge the standing ovation she was receiving from the roaring crowd as she watched Timea Bacsinszky's backhand float out on match point at the French Open on Thursday.
The Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy, which opened last autumn on the Spanish island of Mallorca, is charging kids 56,000 euros ($62,000) a year for tennis lessons and school.
Serbian Djokovic, 31, needed elbow surgery in February to cure a problem that surfaced in 2017, but after some jarring defeats he returned to the kind of domination he achieved in 2015, winning Wimbledon and the US Open.
No current athlete in the world of sport can match the 31-year-old for reliability at present and the American, despite a brief blip, eased past Luxembourg's Mandy Minella 6-1, 6-3.
Naomi Osaka beat Jennifer Brady to win her second Australian Open title and fourth Grand Slam crown, extending her win streak to 21 matches.
Serena Williams and Marin Cilic both survived third round scares on Friday to keep their US Open title defences on track but there was no escape for Rafael Nadal with the twice-winner going down in a late night thriller.
How the winners celebrated on Day 11 of the French Open.
While the United States has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world, New York seems to have a better handle on the virus and reported less than 5,000 new cases last week.
The match ended in 52 minutes as Williams played her forehand into the net.
Andreescu back from the brink to down Muguruza
Images from Day 5 of the US Open in New York on Friday
A six-time champion at Flushing Meadows, Williams was once money in the bank when it came to the US Open
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