A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
Thursday's match was just Venus Williams's seventh of the year and first since January's Australian Open, where she fell to Simona Halep in the round of 32.
Men's governing body ATP on Monday unveiled a revised system for calculating world rankings when the season resumes in August following a five-month suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditionally the ATP rankings operates on a formula of 18 best results over 52 weeks but will now cover a 22-month period from March 2019 through December 2020.
Roger Federer brings down the curtain on his illustrious career later this week but the Swiss maestro has assured his millions of fans that he will not become a tennis ghost.
His season had already provided several unforgettable chapters but Andy Murray saved the best to last as he eclipsed Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-4 to claim his first ATP World Tour Finals title and rubberstamp the year-end top ranking on Sunday. Against a man who has so often been his nemesis, Britain's golden boy Murray produced a relentless display to claim a ninth title of a year which included a second Wimbledon crown and Olympic gold in Rio.
World No 2 Djokovic, who received a first-round bye, broke his opponent's serve four times to extend his winning run to 19 matches.
Roger Federer avoided an embarrassing start to the new season when he dug himself out of trouble to beat little-known journeyman John Millman 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 at the Brisbane International on Thursday.
World number one Novak Djokovic overpowered Dennis Novak after Dusan Lajovic battled past Gerald Melzer and Serbia went on to a 3-0 win in their opener against Group F hosts Austria in the Davis Cup Finals in Innsbruck on Friday.
He is the first player to win an ATP tournament three times in succession on seven different occasions!
Roger Federer may have his doubts about Australia's Nick Kyrgios, but the firebrand talent believes he is ready to become his nation's first home Grand Slam winner in 40 years.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 2022 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Tuesday.
Moya, a former world number one, joined Nadal's team to work with his uncle Toni Nadal last December and has helped revitalise the 31-year-old's career.
The top seed was broken in the second game of the second-round match by the big-serving German but, after going 3-1 behind, the 37-year-old hit back to win five successive games in 13 minutes and take the first set.
Andy Murray joined Emma Raducanu through the exit door after a four-set defeat by John Isner.
Third seed Feliciano Lopez claimed his second ATP Tour title when he beat France's Stephane Robert 7-5 6-1 in the final of the South African Open on Sunday.
The four Majors to trial 10-point tiebreak in final set starting with Roland Garros.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
While Djokovic has a firm grip on top spot, there will be a new number two on March 15 in Russian Daniil Medvedev, who will climb one place to his career-best ranking to replace Nadal, who has not played since the Australian Open due to a back injury.
The 36-year-old Swiss master needs only to reach the semi-finals at the ABN Amro tennis event to overtake Rafael Nadal at the top of the ATP rankings and become world number one for the first time since November 2012.
Reaching ATP Finals like winning a tournament, says Zverev
Novak Djokovic has been unbeaten at Wimbledon since retiring with an elbow injury against Tomas Berdych in the 2017 quarter-finals.
Frenchman Gael Monfils overwhelmed compatriot and defending champion Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-4 in the Montpellier International tournament final on Sunday to claim his first title in more than two years.
Djokovic's challenger will be a 22-year-old who is bidding to become the first Greek to win a singles major.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic survived a scare.
It was the Russian's first competitive match since she withdrew from the St Petersburg Open in January.
The third-seeded Indo-Kiwi combination prevailed 6-4, 5-7, 14-12 over the Australian-Swede combine of Matthew Ebden and Robert Lindsted, in the quarter-finals after saving three match points.
Naomi Osaka is no longer a shy, introvert youngster and the newest Grand Slam winner in women's tennis says she owes her maturity to last year's US Open triumph.
Poland's Iga Swiatek continued her terrific run with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Petra Kvitova on Wednesday to reach the Miami Open semi-finals, while Norway's Casper Ruud upset men's second seed Alexander Zverev in their quarter-final clash.
A very different Australian Open comes to a familiar end on Sunday as Novak Djokovic looks to thwart another challenge to his Melbourne Park dynasty from the latest Grand Slam aspirant in Daniil Medvedev.
Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic gave Australia an unwanted reputation as a breeding ground for tennis brats during a tempestuous 2015 and the pair will be firmly under the spotlight in front of home crowds at Melbourne Park. With former world number one Lleyton Hewitt set to retire and the last of his two grand slam titles at the 2002 Wimbledon championships a distant memory, Australia has long yearned for a new force in men's tennis to challenge at the majors. Tomic, 23, and Kyrgios, 20, have both been tagged as the future of the sport in the country but the excitement generated by their undeniable talent gave way to dismay last season as the pair hogged the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Nadal no longer 'immovable' object in Paris.
Yuki Bhambri breezed past Italy's Marco Cecchinato in the opening round of the qualifiers in the Chennai Open on Saturday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
Roger Federer said he was happy with his preparation at home.
Andy Murray is within one match of securing his place in the ATP World Tour Finals after easing past local favourite Julien Benneteau 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday to advance to the third round of the Paris Masters.
Spain's Tommy Robredo beat Briton Andy Murray 0-6, 6-2, 6-3 to clinch the Metz Open title.
'I've been practising the last few days and trying to manage it, but after playing some points today, I decided that it was not going to be good enough to play.'
Novak Djokovic is chasing a record-extending eighth Australian Open title, while Dominic Thiem will bid to become the first man born in the 1990s to win a major title.
Sumit Nagal was blown away by world number two Daniil Medvedev's thunderous strokes and serves in the singles second round as India's tennis challenge all but ended at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday.
Madison Keys swept past Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-4 at the Cincinnati Open on Friday, setting up a semi-final clash with Petra Kvitova after the Czech defeated Ajla Tomljanovic.
