Tennis

6:16 AM ET Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia — Novak Djokovic described his detention and deportation from Australia that prevented him from defending his Australian Open title as an “unfortunate event” and thanked the Serbian president for his support. An 11-day saga over Djokovic’s entry visa ended with the Serb being deported for failing to meet

1:40 PM ET Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia’s state prosecutors on Wednesday rejected suggestions that Novak Djokovic used a fake positive test for COVID-19 to try to enter Australia and compete in the Australian Open. The prosecution office said in a statement that it had received a request for criminal proceedings against unnamed individuals

6:56 PM ET Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro accepted wild cards on Monday to play two clay-court tournaments after spending 2 1/2 years recovering from a knee injury. Organizers of the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, which starts next week, said the 33-year-old del Potro has

8:58 AM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Rafael Nadal got to 21 first, breaking the men’s tennis record for Grand Slam singles titles and doing it the hard way by coming back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in an almost 5½-hour Australian Open final. Nadal was broken when serving for the

9:00 AM ET On a weekend where the NFL began to bid farewell to one GOAT, men’s tennis crowned its greatest ever — for the time being at least. Rafael Nadal’s triumph at the Australian Open puts him at 21 Grand Slam titles, one ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. It’s tennis’ equivalent of

9:04 AM ET Jake Michaels Close ESPN Associate Editor Jake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who covers everything from Aussie Rules to Formula One, basketball to boxing. He joined ESPN in June, 2013 and works as an Associate Editor, covering sport in Australia and around the world. Tom Hamilton Close Senior Writer • Joined ESPN

2:41 AM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Top-ranked Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova took another major step in a partnership that began in junior ranks when they won the Australian Open women’s doubles 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4 Sunday from unseeded Anna Danilina and Beatriz Haddad Maia. The Czech pair claimed their first Australian Open

3:03 AM ET Six weeks before the start of the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal didn’t know if he’d ever play tennis again. He’s now one win away from a record 21st men’s singles Grand Slam title. The fates of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Nadal have been intertwined for the better part of 20 years.

Jan 29, 2022 Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Newly crowned Australian Open women’s singles champion Ash Barty has maintained her more than two-year grip on the number one ranking after winning her third major title with a straight sets victory over Danielle Collins on Saturday. Barty, winner of the French Open in 2019 and Wimbledon

Jan 29, 2022 A man has been found guilty of stalking US Open tennis champion Emma Raducanu, British media reported on Saturday. Bromley Magistrates’ Court convicted Amrit Magar, 35, on Friday after he was captured several times on door camera footage at the 19-year-old player’s house in south London, where she lives with her parents.

Jan 29, 2022 Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis entered on a wild card and were dubbed the Special Ks on their wild ride to the men’s doubles title at the Australian Open. With a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Matt Ebden and Max Purcell on Saturday, the longtime friends became the

9:39 AM ET On Sunday (3:30 a.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App), top-seeded Daniil Medvedev will take on Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final. If Nadal wins, he will break the Grand Slam record that he, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer all currently hold, tied with 20 titles each. A Nadal victory would be history-making, but

7:03 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Ashleigh Barty was 11 or 12 the first time she attended a final at the Australian Open. As a young player there as part of a training camp, she was amazed by how professional it was and how all of the players were so focused. Being there sparked something in

5:13 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Ashleigh Barty ended a 44-year drought Saturday by becoming the first Australian to win an Australian Open singles title since 1978. The world No. 1 and crowd favourite capped off a dominant fortnight at Melbourne Park, overcoming American 27th seed Danielle Collins 6-3, 7-6(2) on Rod Laver Arena, to

6:11 PM ET Public perception varies in the way that three athletes — Kyrie Irving, Aaron Rodgers and Novak Djokovic — have handled their decision not to be vaccinated for COVID-19 over the past several months, according to a survey conducted for ESPN. A majority of fans approve of how Irving has handled his decision,

3:03 AM ET On Saturday night in Melbourne, No. 1-ranked Ashleigh Barty will take on Danielle Collins in the Australian Open women’s final. Barty has looked unflappable so far — can she become the first Australian to win her home Slam in 44 years? Or will Collins pull off the upset? We asked our experts:

2:09 AM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Rafael Nadal is now within one victory of a record 21st Grand Slam singles title. The 35-year-old Spaniard advanced to the Australian Open final for a sixth time with a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win Friday over Matteo Berrettini. Nadal arrived in Australia not knowing how long

6:28 AM ET D’Arcy Maine Tom Hamilton Close Senior Writer • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Ashleigh Barty walked to the microphone on the court at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday at the Australian