Tennis

1:18 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Ashleigh Barty had just won the 2019 French Open and was standing on the court waiting for her team to join her. It was her first major title, and the realization of every young tennis player’s dream. Her longtime coach Craig Tyzzer rushed to be by her side, preparing an

2:39 PM ET Simona Halep withdrew from the Miami Open before her second-round match Thursday because of a leg injury that the former world No. 1 said will keep her out of action for three weeks. World No. 19 Halep, who reached the semifinals at Indian Wells last week and had a first-round bye in

11:43 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com In her first news conference since announcing her immediate retirement from professional tennis, three-time major champion and current world No. 1 Ash Barty called her decision “scary but exciting” and said she was looking forward to working with Australian junior players in the near future, as well as spending time

2:17 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Naomi Osaka was greeted by some cheers when she walked onto the court, then got significantly louder ones when her work for the day was done. Maybe the comforts of home helped. Flashing the level of play that vaulted her to No. 1 in the world

11:54 PM ET ASH BARTY MADE no attempt to hide the outpouring of emotion after she whipped a forehand past Danielle Collins to clinch the Australian Open title in January. At the time, her gargantuan roar and the tears that streamed down her cheeks appeared to be the byproduct of finally having the weight of

6:47 AM ET Jonathan SelvarajESPN Ashleigh Barty shocked the world when she announced her retirement on Wednesday just months after winning the Australian Open. But the world No. 1 women’s tennis player isn’t the first elite sportsperson to call time on their careers despite being at the peak of their game. Here is a (non-comprehensive)

10:14 PM ET ESPN News Services Australia’s Ash Barty, the No. 1-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, has announced her retirement from the sport at the age of 25. Barty said in an emotional video posted Wednesday local time on social media: “I’m so happy and I’m so ready. I just know at the

10:56 PM ET World No.1 Ash Barty’s shock retirement from tennis at only 25 has sent Australian social media spinning, with some of the biggest names in Australian sport reacting to the sudden news. Barty most recently ended the nation’s Australian Open drought, becoming the first Australian woman to lift the trophy in 44 years,

11:05 AM ET Associated Press MADRID — Rafael Nadal will be sidelined for four to six weeks because of a rib injury, putting his preparations for the French Open in two months in jeopardy. Nadal said Tuesday he underwent exams after arriving in Spain from the United States and results showed he has a stress

7:52 AM ET German tennis great Boris Becker “acted dishonestly” by failing to hand over assets including his Wimbledon singles trophies before and after he was declared bankrupt in 2017, a London court heard on Monday. The 54-year-old six time Grand Slam winner, who attended the opening day of his trial at Southwark Crown Court,

9:00 PM ET ESPN News Services INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — American Taylor Fritz upset Rafael Nadal 6-3, 7-6 (5) Sunday to win the BNP Paribas Open and snap the 21-time major champion’s 20-match winning streak this year. “It’s an honor to even be on the same court as this guy,” Fritz told the crowd. “I

6:03 PM ET Associated Press INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Iga Swiatek defeated Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-1 Sunday in an error-filled final to win the BNP Paribas Open. Swiatek will rise to a career-best No. 2 in the world in Monday’s WTA Tour rankings, trailing top-ranked Ashleigh Barty, who skipped Indian Wells. Sakkari will move to

10:37 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Rafael Nadal standing behind him and a captivated audience intently listening to his every word, Taylor Fritz finished his speech on the court at Indian Wells, his voice breaking as he looked toward his family and team in the stands. “Winning this tournament is one of those crazy childhood dreams

7:28 PM ET Associated Press INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Taylor Fritz ended Andrey Rublev’s 13-match winning streak with a 7-5, 6-4 victory Saturday in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals. Fritz advanced to the final Sunday against either Rafael Nadal or 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, who met in the other semifinal. Seeded 20th, Fritz is the first

12:43 AM ET ESPN News Services INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Iga Swiatek rallied from a break down in each set to beat Simona Halep 7-6 (6), 6-4 on Friday night and reach the final of the BNP Paribas Open. Swiatek saved two set points in the first-set tiebreaker when she overcame deficits of 3-1 and

8:59 PM ET Associated Press INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Taylor Fritz defeated Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-1 Friday to reach the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open for the second time in five months. The 24-year-old American is in the midst of the best stretch of his young career, and it all

1:31 PM ET Emma Raducanu is set to make her Billie Jean King Cup debut after being named in the Great Britain squad to face Czech Republic in April. The 19-year-old was named in the team for the 2019 and 2020 competitions, but in both years did not end up playing a match. She will

10:38 AM ET Associated Press LONDON — Roger Federer is offering financial help to Ukrainians during Russia’s invasion of the country. Federer wrote Friday on social media that his foundation will donate $500,000 “to establish access to continued schooling for Ukrainian children.” 🕊💙💛 pic.twitter.com/HEwb5NGREu — Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) March 18, 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine on