A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Monday.
World number one Novak Djokovic rediscovered a ruthless streak when it mattered most to stay on course for a career slam with a nail-biting 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 6-1 win over Andy Murray to reach the French Open final on Saturday.
Roger Federer celebrated his return to the top of the world rankings with his second title of the season, swatting aside Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2 in the final of the ABN AMRO World Tournament in Rotterdam on Sunday.
"And going into the match having not lost on clay this year and having some big wins on the surface is important for me. I will just keep doing what I have been doing."
Roger Federer does not fret about who umpires his matches and said on Wednesday all players should be treated equally by officials, whatever their ranking.
Images from Saturday's action at the Australian Open.
Sealing the match with a thumping serve, the 2014 US Open champion will bid for his second grand slam title against Friday's winner of Roger Federer and South Korea's rising star Chung Hyeon.
Top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic rallied to see off Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 in the Shanghai Open quarter-finals on Friday and world number one Rafa Nadal also booked his place in the last four.
After a brief interruption when the players were locked at 5-5 in the opening set, Federer saved two set points in the tiebreak and held firm to gain the upper hand in the contest.
International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) cannot be called an Indian league, its founder managing director Mahesh Bhupathi has clarified though the new competition has borrowed heavily from the cricket-based IPL, especially in the franchise business model.
A long season took its toll on Roger Federer on Thursday as the Swiss was knocked out of the Paris Masters following a 7-6(3) 3-6 7-6(5) third-round defeat by big serving John Isner.
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.
Jelena Ostapenko, the youngest French Open finalist since Ana Ivanovic 10 years ago, takes a riskier approach, striking every ball as if she is trying to separate it from its fluffy coat.
Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka advanced to the Rogers Cup quarter-finals on Thursday to set up their first meeting since the American's infamous row with an umpire overshadowed last year's US Open final.
Novak Djokovic extended his winning streak at the China Open to 27 matches with a 6-2, 6-2 demolition over big-serving American John Isner on Friday.
Stan Wawrinka outslugged Japanese sixth seed Kei Nishikori 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 in energy-sapping humidity at Flushing Meadows on Friday to set up a US Open final against world number one Novak Djokovic.
How Real Madrid's players reacted to Zinedine Zidane's stepping down as Real Madrid coach.
Britain's Andy Murray enjoyed a routine win over Argentina's Juan Monaco to ease into the third round of the tennis tournament at the Rio Games on Tuesday, while Spain's world number nine David Ferrer was knocked out.
Images from Day 4 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday.
- 'It's probably been the best preparation I've ever had for Wimbledon because we have a week more on the grass' - 'This year I feel my game is better'
It was the Russian's first competitive match since she withdrew from the St Petersburg Open in January.
Andy Murray eased past Fernando Verdasco at the Aegon Championships on Thursday but an expected quarter-final showdown with the man who beat him at Wimbledon last year was scuppered by Luxembourg left-hander Gilles Muller.
The 23-times Grand Slam champion looked a completely different player from the person who smashed her way into the semi-finals of the doubles with Caroline Wozniacki on Wednesday but managed to do just enough to beat the 86th-ranked McHale.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
Dustin Brown's audacious attempt to unseat defending Wimbledon champion Andy Murray with a show-boating brand of serve and volley tennis was always likely to end in failure.
Factbox on Serbia's Novak Djokovic who won his sixth Australian Open men's singles title on Sunday.
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.
There comes a moment in all great sporting careers when the puzzle fits together and for Kei Nishikori it arrived on a sweltering early September afternoon in New York.
"When I was a kid, I just dreamt about playing at Roland Garros, at Wimbledon, professional tournaments. I am no different than many kids. My motivation and passion to try to reach that dream was the key to our success. "We worked hard with motivation. Kids can do it, if I did it," the Spanish legend said ahead of the opening IPTL match. "The only thing I can advise is that try to have right people around you, who know about the sport, who really support you and try to help you reach your best level, practice everyday with motivation and passion. "I had good people around me. Without (coach and uncle) Tony, nothing was possible. I am lucky that someone from my family is my coach forever. We work hard. "We work with passion, with love for what we are doing and just trying to do right things to improve every year. That's the only secret."
Images from matches played on Day 4 at the US Open at the Flushing Meadows in New York on Thursday.
Tennis must consider shortening matches in a bid to engage with a younger fanbase and avoid losing television viewers, according to former ATP Player Council president and doubles specialist Eric Butorac.
Lucas Pouille crowned a glorious French charge at the U.S. Open on Sunday by ousting 14-times grand slam singles winner Rafa Nadal in a five-set thriller. The 22-year-old Pouille, seeded 24th, won a deciding tiebreak 8-6 to complete a 6-1 2-6 6-4 3-6 7-6(6) marathon victory and join compatriots Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils into the last eight at Flushing Meadows.
Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro served notice of his strong form ahead of the Australian Open when he crushed defending champion Bernard Tomic 6-3, 6-1 in the final of the Sydney International on Saturday.
The match ended in 52 minutes as Williams played her forehand into the net.
Richard Gasquet kept his ATP World Tour finals hopes alive when he overcame Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-3 to reach the Paris Masters third round as fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga crashed out of the race on Tuesday.
World No 2 Novak Djokovic produced a magical display to overcome the ferocious hitting of Argentine Juan Martin del Potro and successfully defend the Shanghai Masters title on Sunday.
Home favourite Kei Nishikori defeated Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-6(2), 6-1 in the semi-finals of the Japan Open on Saturday, setting up a final against Russian qualifier Daniil Medvedev.
Images from the action on Day 2 at the Australian Open.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic's preparations for Wimbledon have been laid back in the extreme.
PHOTOS from day seven of the Wimbledon championships at the All England Lawn Tennis in London on Wednesday
