Tennis

6:30 PM ET You could be forgiven for thinking reigning Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin was short-changed in 2020. The 22-year-old broke through for her maiden Grand Slam win in Melbourne last year, defeating Garbine Muguruza in three sets in the final, and looked on the cusp of an incredible breakout season. But one by

10:22 AM ET Associated Press LONDON — – Two Russian tennis players were banned from the sport for life on Wednesday for match-fixing, including incidents when they played together as doubles partners. The International Tennis Integrity Agency said Alija Merdeeva was found guilty of two counts of match-fixing. Sofia Dmitrieva was found guilty on six

7:53 AM ET Associated Press ROME — Andy Murray has entered a lower-tier challenger tournament in Italy next month after withdrawing from the Australian Open with the coronavirus. Murray is listed to play an indoor tournament in Biella starting Feb. 15, the Italian Tennis Federation said Wednesday. The tournament has 132,000 euros ($160,000) in prize

7:45 AM ET Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal have both aimed digs at Novak Djokovic with the Australian saying he had a duty to call out the world No. 1 when he “lost his way” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kyrgios called the Serbian’s ill-fated Adria Tour in June “boneheaded” and described Djokovic as a “tool”

7:00 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Victoria Azarenka cried when she heard the news. Having traveled halfway around the world to Melbourne for only the second time since 2016, the two-time Australian Open champion was excited to make her return to the tournament and build on the momentum from her 2020 season, in which she reached

2:54 AM ET An extra women’s tennis tournament catering for players serving 14-day hard lockdowns in Melbourne will be added to the calendar ahead of next month’s Australian Open. It means six tournaments will be staged simultaneously early next month ahead of the Open, which is due to begin on February 8. There will now

5:23 PM ET Associated Press LONDON — The International Tennis Federation on Saturday denied a bid by 29th-ranked Dayana Yastremska to lift a suspension for failing an out-of-competition doping test. The ruling can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by the 20-year-old from Ukraine. Players at Grand Slam tournaments and events sanctioned

3:31 PM ET Associated Press ROME — Former top-25 player Filippo Volandri was named Italy’s Davis Cup captain on Saturday, ending Corrado Barazzutti’s 20-year run in charge. Barazzutti had also previously been Italy’s Fed Cup captain, a role he ceded to Tathiana Garbin in 2016 after coaching the women’s team to four titles. Barazzutti played

5:23 AM ET World No.1 Ash Barty is itching to get back to competitive tennis at the Australian Open but has poured cold water on the idea that she might be set to end the 43-year wait for a homegrown women’s champion. Barty reached the semifinals at Melbourne Park for the first time last year

5:45 PM ET ESPN staff Novak Djokovic checks out the scene from the balcony at his accommodation in Adelaide, Australia, where he is in relaxed quarantine ahead of an exhibition event before the Australian Open begins in Melbourne on Feb. 8. Morgan Sette/AAP Image via AP As anyone who has been paying attention knows well by

11:50 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Andy Murray announced Friday that he would not be playing in the upcoming Australian Open after being unable to negotiate a “workable quarantine” with Tennis Australia following his positive COVID-19 test. The former world No. 1 and three-time major champion had been unable to fly to Melbourne last week after

7:27 PM ET Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has blasted the decision to once again honour controversial Australian tennis icon Margaret Court in this year’s Australia Day honours. The 24-time Grand Slam singles champion is set to be promoted from Officer of the Order of Australia to the prestigious Companion of the Order of Australia, the

12:39 PM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — A Spanish tennis player ranked in the top 70 who was forced to quarantine in her hotel room after potentially being exposed to the coronavirus on an Australian Open charter flight says she tested positive for COVID-19. Paula Badosa, a 23-year-old who reached the fourth round at

6:14 AM ET Tennis umpire Carlos Bernardes has been hospitalised after suffering a heart attack while in quarantine in Melbourne ahead of next month’s Australian Open, local media reported on Thursday. Photos of Bernardes being wheeled into an ambulance were posted on social media on Wednesday. Both Tennis Australia and the ATP did not immediately

10:58 PM ET Associated Press ADELAIDE, Australia — Ash Barty is set to return to the tennis court for something other than practice for the first time in 11 months. The No. 1-ranked Barty on Thursday said she’ll play in a one-day exhibition event in Adelaide on Jan. 29 that includes Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka

11:35 AM ET Associated Press LONDON — The U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston was canceled for the second year in a row because of the coronavirus pandemic, part of a series of changes to the men’s tennis calendar announced by the ATP on Wednesday. The Houston tournament was supposed to be played April

10:53 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Novak Djokovic attempted to clarify his heavily scrutinized letter to Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley in a social media post Tuesday, insisting his “good intentions” were misconstrued. Following positive COVID-19 tests on three charter flights to Melbourne, 72 players are currently in a hard quarantine period resulting in 14

9:57 PM ET Two more Australian Open players have tested positive for COVID-19, government officials said on Wednesday, as authorities were at cross-purposes over who would pay for the tournament’s quarantine bill. Victoria state police minister Lisa Neville said two players and a non-playing Australian Open participant comprised three new infections reported on Wednesday. A