Bidding for a record-extending ninth Australian Open title, the world number one and double-defending champion remains the runaway favourite at his favourite Grand Slam where he once remarked that he felt touched by the "divine".
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Friday.
Switzerland's preparations for the Davis Cup Final against France in Lille on Sunday have been disrupted by a back injury to Roger Federer and a spat within the Swiss camp.
The 38-year-old, who has lost six games so far in the tournament, dispatched his hapless opponent in only 62 minutes winning the second-round match 6-0, 6-3.
Roger Federer produced a vintage performance to crush Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 and seal Switzerland's maiden Davis Cup title with a 3-1 win over hosts France on Sunday.
The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics has disappointed athletes around the world but, if the coronavirus pandemic eases over the next few months, it could turn out to be a blessing for the tennis world.
Gilles Simon will carry the distinction of being the first man to prise a set off Novak Djokovic at this year's Australian Open but the lion-hearted Frenchman was crushed after going down in a five-set classic on Sunday.
A long year has taken its toll on some of the world's best tennis players but the relentless Novak Djokovic gives no indication that he is about to slacken the pace as he heads to the season-ending ATP World Tour finals in London.
Nadal has won his 13th French Open singles title and 20th Grand Slam tournament by beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov upset top seed and defending champion Milos Raonic of Canada at the Brisbane International on Saturday to set up a title clash against Japan's Kei Nishikori.
Defending champion Djokovic fired his 15th ace on match point to defeat Querrey but his serve had been an issue earlier in their second-round encounter.
Top seed Alexander Zverev crashed out in the second round of the Stuttgart Open, losing to world number 170 Dustin Brown.
Fourth seed Rafa Nadal was stunned by Serb Viktor Troicki in an upset-filled Shanghai Masters second round on Wednesday while Andy Murray breezed past American Steve Johnson and Nick Kyrgios slumped to a listless defeat. Troicki, ranked 31st in the world, overcame Nadal 6-3 7-6(3) in an hour and 34 minutes to secure his first ever victory in five previous attempts against the 14-time grand slam winner. The unseeded Serb broke twice to seal the opening set before Nadal came back strongly in the second. The Spaniard saved a match point at 5-4 down but was defeated in the tiebreak.
Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will play at Rio 2016 despite suffering with a wrist injury as he prepares for the Olympic Games. Speaking after training at the Olympic Tennis Centre in Rio on Tuesday (2 August), the Spanish team's flag bearer was asked if he would be fit enough to compete. "Yes," he said. "I was talking with the whole team and the team decided that I am going to play, so I'm going to try to train for the next couple of days.
Novak Djokovic beat Casper Ruud in the French Open final to win a men's record-extending 23rd Grand Slam title.
List of US Open men's singles champions since the open era began in 1968:
World number ones Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams will feel like they are working overtime on Friday when organisers cram all four semi-finals into a single session to try and ensure a rain-ravaged tournament ends on schedule.
Only one player has beaten Rafael Nadal on his beloved claycourts this year and that man, Austria's Dominic Thiem, blocks the Spaniard's path to the French Open final.
Nick Kyrgios was involved in a heated row in his post-match news conference after being questioned about his behaviour during his five-set victory over Dustin Brown at Wimbledon on Friday.
German tennis legend Boris Becker has issued a stringing rebuke against second-ranked Andy Murray for saying that he has been suspicious of his opponents doping in the past and described his comments as "totally out of order".
'I know earlier in the tournament I said something in kind of a bad way and now I'm saying it in a good way: That it's because of your energy that I'm in the final'
IMAGES from Day 4 of the Australian Open in Melbourne, on Thursday.
Australia eased ahead of Bosnia 2-0 as John Millman thumped Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 6-2 while Alex de Minaur overcame Mirza Basic 6-3, 7-6(0), before Millman revealed the team's larger goal under captain Lleyton Hewitt.
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.
Coco Gauff rallied from a break down in the final set to beat Swede Rebecca Peterson and reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals for the first time
Next up for the 35-year-old will be another American in 39th-ranked Tommy Paul with a potential semi-final clash against top-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev, who he defeated in the Australian Open final from a two-sets deficit.
The marquee clash between a vintage Roger Federer and classy Rafael Nadal, the legends of the game will be awaited keenly by the fans as the third leg of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) begins in New Delhi on Thursday.
Wimbledon champion Andy Murray was happy with his movement if not the result after making a losing return from 15 weeks on the sidelines at an Abu Dhabi exhibition tournament this week.
'The governing bodies, especially Grand Slams, need to allocate enough funds to support lower-ranked players, low-level tournaments, futures, challengers and I believe there is enough funds for those too.'
Rafael Nadal stormed into the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 demolition of former finalist Marcos Baghdatis.
'When it's easy it's going to be no problem. When it gets tough that's when you know what's going to hold up and what's not'
Serena Williams reluctantly pulled out of this year's Australian Open on Friday, the American saying that while she was close to regaining full fitness after giving birth to her first child in September, she was not fully ready to defend her title.
Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal were winners but six seeds were beaten in a day of upsets in the second round at the Rogers Cup in Montreal 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.
Two-time champion Andy Murray withdrew from Wimbledon with a 'heavy heart' on Sunday after saying his right hip was still not ready for the demands of a Grand Slam.
A summary of the action on Day 3 at the US Open.
India's top tennis players Mahesh Bhupathi, Saketh Myneni, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Sriram Balaji have been granted wild card entries into the doubles draw of Chennai Open, the organisers announced on Monday.
Roger Federer is no longer chasing the top ranking and would rather be a contender at Grand Slams than battling Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal to be world number one, the Swiss tennis great said.
The top-seeded Serb, who had not dropped a set in four matches since the round of 16 at the Australian Open in January, looked out-of-sorts throughout the 98-minute contest.
Persistent drizzle and a chill wind sweeping the almost-empty Roland Garros grounds.
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