'I'm not thinking ahead to the Open right now because I am here in Toronto and I haven't really played a hard court match in awhile. I'm thinking I want to get some of this under my belt and the Open will happen when the Open happens.'
Former world number one Garbine Muguruza was beaten 7-5, 6-4 by Aryna Sabalenka in the China Open second round on Tuesday while an ailing Jelena Ostapenko lost 6-0, 6-0 to Wang Qiang.
World No 2 Rafael Nadal sailed into the quarter-finals of the China Open, his first tournament in 13 weeks, with a 6-3, 6-4 win over German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk on Thursday.
Russia, last year's runners-up, were unable to call on world number six Maria Sharapova who was injured
'Even though she's still playing arguably her best tennis, you have to wonder at a certain point how long that can keep up.'
The Australian Open started with a bang and the stars weren't hard to miss, as most of them were seen wearing loud colours at Melbourne Park.
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.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
Seven-time Italian Open winner Rafael Nadal lost 7-6(7), 6-2 to Stanislas Wawrinka.
Victoria Azarenka suffered a stunning meltdown and blew three match points against world number one Serena Williams before losing 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(1) in the third round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
The World No 4 is unfazed by rankings drop before Madrid tournament and the French Open.
The post-match press conference can be the bane of a player's life, especially when they have lost, but Roger Federer has found a way to use them to his advantage.
Romania's Simona Halep kicked off her campaign for a maiden WTA Finals title in emphatic fashion with a thumping 6-0, 6-3 victory over US Open champion Flavia Pennetta in the opening match of the eight-woman season-ending tournament on Sunday.
IMAGES from Day 7 at Wimbledon on Monday
World No 1 Serena Williams beat Agnieszka Radwanska for the eighth time in eight matches to move ominously towards the semi-finals of the WTA Championships on Wednesday.
Williams sisters Serena and Venus had been hoping to provide fans with the first all-Williams sisters clash at a Grand Slam since the 2009 Wimbledon final in the semi-finals.
Third seed Stan Wawrinka was sent packing in the round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Open in California on Wednesday and was very nearly joined by Rafael Nadal, who pulled off a Houdini-like escape to reach the last eight.
Plotting a path to the Australian Open has never been trickier or more uncertain. Even the best players are baffled about the best way to prepare for their annual trek Down Under.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic is the top seed in the men's draw which includes five-times US Open champion and 17-times Grand Slam winner Roger Federer as seventh seed - his first time the Swiss has been placed outside the top three in a Grand Slam in over ten years.
Defending champion Serena Williams is the top seed in the women's draw. The American will be looking to equal Steffi Graf's Open era record by sealing a 22nd Grand Slam triumph.
Novak Djokovic had to fight back from a set down to beat Thomaz Bellucci and reach the Italian Open quarter-finals.
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Eugenie Bouchard proved again she is a player for the big occasion by powering into the second round of the US Open with a 6-2, 6-1 demolition of Olga Govortsova on Tuesday, bringing a smile to the player hyped as the future face of women's tennis.
IMAGES from matches played at the Miami Masters in Key Biscayne, Florida
Cilic's booming serve lacked its usual accuracy and Germany's Kohlschreiber was able to control long rallies, pushing the towering Croatian around the court with pinpoint groundstrokes en route to a quick victory.
IMAGES from the matches played at the PNB Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Sunday
Sania, the country's finest woman doubles player, who began the year with the number one ranking, closed it at number 9.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Dani Alves has blamed the media for Brazil's unsuccessful World Cup campaign but conceded that the team did not prepare properly ahead of the humiliating 7-1 defeat by Germany in the semi-final.
Caroline Wozniacki put a huge dent in Maria Sharapova's bid to finish the season as world number one by overcoming some distracting bright lights to down the Russian 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-2 in their marathon opening group match of the WTA Finals on Tuesday.
Top seed Victoria Azarenka overcame a lapse of concentration to defeat Ana Ivanovic 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 and reach the final of the Carlsbad Open on Saturday.
World number five Juan Martin del Potro began his 2014 season with a win, albeit a scrappy one over Frenchman Nicolas Mahut to advance to the quarter-finals of the Sydney International on Wednesday.
All England Club officials on Tuesday announced a seven percent overall rise, down from 10.5 percent last year, meaning overall prize money has surged by an eye-popping 152 percent since 2011 to 26.75 million pounds.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
'I was trying to play every match like it was my last one. Trying to play best all the time' 'For me it is easy to practise and stay in this life but sometimes it is hard to compete'
Bernard Tomic is set to sit out the Australian Open after Tennis Australia (TA) decided not to award him a wildcard to the main draw, the organisers said on Thursday.
Federer, who skipped the entire clay court season after winning the Australian Open and claiming titles at Indian Wells and Miami this year, will next play defending champion Florian Mayer who beat Frenchman Lucas Pouille in three sets.
Top seed Serena Williams shook off a spirited attempt by Agnieszka Radwanska and moved into the final of the Rogers Cup with a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory on Saturday and will meet Romania's Sorana Cirstea, whose surprising run continued when she beat China's Li Na 6-1, 7-6(5).
Images from Day 5 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Friday.
A win by Venus would keep the 35-year-old on track for a first grand slam title since 2008 Wimbledon and a possible return to the US Open final where she first made the final in her debut in 1997. But a victory would end little sister Serena's quest for the rarest of tennis feats -- a calendar-year grand slam.
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