Wimbledon's genteel surrounds resembled Saturday night on a casualty ward as injuries saw seven players withdraw or retire and third seed Maria Sharapova stumble to a shock second-round defeat on Wednesday.
Roger Federer produced a vintage performance to best Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 and move into the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
The coach of Ana Ivanovic, and father-in-law of men's world number two Andy Murray, collapsed in the stands at Rod Laver Arena during the Serb's third round clash with American Madison Keys on Saturday, causing play to be suspended indefinitely.
World number ones Serena Williams, aiming to complete the first calendar-year Grand Slam in 27 years, and Novak Djokovic have been named the top seeds for the US Open championships starting on Monday in New York.
Roger Federer took 55 minutes to dispel all injury doubts with a 6-2, 6-1 routing of unheralded German Tobias Kamke in the second round of the Brisbane International on Thursday. Media speculations swirled around the fitness of the world number three less than two weeks before he launches his bid for a fifth Australian Open title and the Swiss maestro dismissed them by dropping only three games in a lop-sided contest. "I'm going to do my best to stay injury free and give myself a chance to win another grand slam," Federer said after setting up a quarter-final against Grigor Dimitrov.
While some say the five-times Grand Slam champion, initially banned for two years after testing positive for Meldonium, has done her time some fellow players are angry the red carpet is being rolled out.
Serena Williams must stop giving opponents head starts if she is to come anywhere near emulating last season's feat of winning three of the year's four Grand Slams, according to former World No 1 Chris Evert.
Barcelona's star footballer Lionel Messi was named the Best International Athlete award, while Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic, who recently won the Wimbledon singles titles, were named the best male and female tennis players respectively, at the 2015 ESPY Awards in California, on Wednesday night.
Top seed Serena Williams dropped the second set before bouncing back to beat compatriot Christina Mchale 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in second-round action at the Miami Open in Florida on Thursday.
The peak remains tantalisingly close for Serena Williams but negotiating the final incline to a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam singles title is proving the trickiest of all.
Top seed Serena Williams and her older sister Venus led a foursome of American women into the Australian Open fourth round on Saturday.
The duo could face each other at the quarter-final stage.
It would be perfectly safe for Serena Williams to continue with rigorous training throughout pregnancy, but how quickly the 35-year-old would return to tournament tennis is uncertain.
Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic was shaken up when a spectator was injured falling down the stairs on Rod Laver Arena but recovered her composure to ease into the third round at the Australian Open on Thursday.
'Everyone thinks it was a money-related issue, but it wasn't'
Photos from Day 5 action at the Western & Southern Open at Cincinnati on Thursday.
Stanislas Wawrinka had to dig deep to beat Borna Coric at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Wednesday and conceded his thoughts had been far from tennis over the past few days.
The second round of this year's Wimbledon has equalled the record for withdrawals and retirements for a single round at a Grand Slam in the professional era after two more players quit on Thursday.
As Serena Williams sits out a fourth straight Grand Slam, Simona Halep and Karolina Pliskova will join Caroline Wozniacki in a quest for a major breakthrough in Australia.
Ukrainian second seed Elina Svitolina ended Naomi Osaka's remarkable recent run with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph over the Indian Wells champion in the second round of the Miami Open on Friday.
Roger Federer rallied from a set down to beat Moldovan surprise package Radu Albot 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in a stuttering start to the 20-times Grand Slam champion's Miami Open campaign on Saturday.
Sixth seed Andy Murray may feel the most aggrieved of the top contenders in the men's draw.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
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.
Serena faces hard-hitting Giorgi in first round while former World No Hewitt play his final grand slam
Reigning champions Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have been named top seeds for the Australian Open starting on Monday.
Serena Williams and defending champion Maria Sharapova remained on course for a heavyweight Madrid Open final.
Images from Day 7 of the 2019 French Open in Paris on Saturday.
Serena Williams must navigate a heavily American quarter of the draw including sister Venus to complete a calendar sweep of the four Grand Slams, while two sensational quarter-finals loom on the men's side after Thursday's U.S. Open draw.
If Williams is indeed 20 weeks into her term, that would mean she was approximately two months pregnant when she captured her record 23rd Grand Slam tournament singles title at the Australian Open in January.
It's French Open time! The tennis world's only clay court Grand Slam begins on Sunday and the best of the best will battle it out.
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World number one Rafael Nadal is reportedly being offered 1.1 million dollars per night to play in three of the eight matches of the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), which has borrowed its format from the lucrative Twenty20 tournament Indian Premier League (IPL).
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are top seeds at the major starting Monday
Roger Federer hasn't won a Grand Slam title this year but the 17-time Grand Slam champion tops Forbes magazine's list of the 10 top tennis moneymakers, announced on Tuesday.
Rafael Nadal was made to wait before his second-round Rogers Cup match due to several rain delays but did his part to put the schedule back on track with a speedy 6-2 6-3 win over Frenchman Benoit Paire on Wednesday.
Following Serena Williams's 19th Grand Slam title, here is the list of Australian Open women's singles champions since the event began in 1922 (Australian unless stated)
IMAGES from the matches played at Miami Miasters in Key Biscayne, Florida, on Wednesday
Croatia clinched a place in next year's World Cup finals on Sunday after holding Greece to a goalless draw at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium in Athens to complete a 4-1 aggregate victory in their playoff tie.
Murray had battled his way back from two sets down in the second round against France's Adrian Mannarino, but could not work another miracle against the 14th-ranked, 29-year-old Anderson, who swept the final tiebreak 7-0.
Twice winner Maria Sharapova and reigning champion Flavia Pennetta advanced to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday, though in sharply contrasting fashion.
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