10:11 PM ET Apartment owners on the premises of a luxury Melbourne hotel are threatening legal action against plans by Australian Open organisers to use the hotel to quarantine players ahead of the Grand Slam, local media reported on Monday. The apartment owners at the Westin Melbourne said they had concerns for their health and
Tennis
10:17 AM ET Associated Press Andy Murray has pulled out of the Delray Beach Open to minimize his coronavirus risk as he looks ahead to the Australian Open. The 33-year-old Murray said he was concerned about “the increase in COVID rates and the transatlantic flights involved” with traveling to the Florida tournament that begins Monday.
3:29 PM ET Associated Press LONDON — American tennis player Sam Querrey was handed a suspended $20,000 fine by the ATP tour on Wednesday for breaching coronavirus protocols at the St. Petersburg Open in October. Querrey left Russia on a private plane after testing positive for COVID-19, despite having been placed in isolation by local
7:53 AM ET Women’s world No. 1 Ash Barty will partner U.S. Open semifinalist Jennifer Brady in doubles at the 2021 Australian Open in a high-profile pairing between top singles players, organisers announced on Wednesday. Australian Barty played with now-retired German Julia Goerges in this year’s tournament in Melbourne, where they lost in the second
11:33 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com The 2021 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, often referred to as tennis’ “fifth major,” has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. Originally scheduled for March 8-21, the tournament in California will now be held at an undetermined date later this year. “The tournament is proactively working with the ATP
5:55 PM ET Associated Press Roger Federer is withdrawing from the Australian Open while he continues preparing to return to action after two operations on his right knee, his agent told The Associated Press on Sunday. Tony Godsick — Federer’s long-time representative and CEO of their management company, TEAM8 — said he is working on
12:03 PM ET Associated Press With tennis, like so much of the world, shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, Naomi Osaka found herself with time to read and think. And while she won the US Open for her third Grand Slam title, she also stood out for speaking out about racial injustice and police
9:30 AM ET Andy Murray has been awarded a wildcard for February’s Australian Open, tournament director Craig Tiley said on Sunday. The main draw entry for the first Grand Slam of 2021 comes two years after Murray, the five-time runner-up in Melbourne, played what he feared would be his final professional match there, losing in
5:36 PM ET Australia’s wheelchair tennis star Dylan Alcott has capped a memorable 2020 by finishing the year as the International Tennis Federation’s world No. 1 for quad singles. It is the fifth time Alcott has claimed the year-end top spot, repeating his achievements from 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. In January, Alcott became the
2:17 PM ET Associated Press LONDON — Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Frances Tiafoe were among the winners of the ATP’s top awards for 2020 on Monday. Djokovic was the year-end No. 1 for a record-equaling sixth time after winning four titles including a record eighth Australian Open. US Open champions Mate Pavic
11:49 AM ET Associated Press LONDON — Egyptian tennis player Mostafa Hatem was banned for two years on Monday as part of a match-fixing case. The Tennis Integrity Unit said Hatem admitted to two charges, including failing to report an offer to manipulate a match. He is banned from playing in or attending any authorized
6:00 AM ET Andy Murray defeated British No. 1 Dan Evans in straight sets in his first tennis match since October. Murray, a three-time Grand Slam winner, has been out of action after defeat to Fernando Verdasco. The 33-year-old pulled out of the remainder of the season after inflaming a pelvic injury he had sustained
12:15 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com The WTA announced its schedule for the beginning portion of the 2021 season on Friday, following the official announcement of the delayed dates of the Australian Open. Posting a calendar of the first seven weeks, the season will get underway at the Abu Dhabi WTA Women’s Tennis Open on Jan.
Dec 18, 2020 Associated Press The Victorian state government has confirmed that all players at the Australian Open will be required to quarantine in Melbourne for 14 days before the delayed start of the Feb. 8-21 first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year. The government said on Saturday that quarantine plans have been endorsed
6:34 AM ET Andy Murray has praised U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka and Manchester United‘s Marcus Rashford for their work in driving social change. Murray spoke in his BBC column on the importance of athletes speaking out and driving change. “In tennis, we saw Naomi Osaka decide she would not play in her Western and
8:00 AM ET Men’s tennis’s governing body has announced the Australian Open will start on February 8, three weeks later than planned. While Tennis Australia and the Victorian and Australian governments are yet to confirm, the ATP on Thursday revealed its revised 2021 calendar with the Melbourne Park grand slam front and centre of pandemic-forced
7:53 PM ET Associated Press LONDON — The Australian Open is set to begin Feb. 8, three weeks later than planned, as part of a pandemic-altered 2021 tennis calendar released by the men’s professional tour Wednesday. The ATP said that men’s qualifying for the season’s first Grand Slam tournament is being moved to Doha, Qatar,
7:35 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Leylah Fernandez was already feeling slightly out of place on the tennis practice courts at the Australian Open days before the tournament was set to begin this past January. At 17, just a year removed from playing in the girls’ final and ranked No. 207 in the world, Fernandez had