Jannik Sinner will try to put a doping scandal behind him when he kicks off his Australian Open defence against Nicolas Jarry, while Aryna Sabalenka’s bid for a hat-trick of titles starts on Sunday against Sloane Stephens. The first Grand Slam of the year gets under way at Melbourne Park as a 15-day event for the second year running, aimed at cutting down on late-night finishes. Italian World No. 1 Sinner is hot favourite after a breakthrough 2024 built on the back of his come-from-behind victory over Daniil Medvedev in last year’s final. He has played Chile’s Jarry twice, winning their last clash in Beijing in September. He begins his defence under a cloud after twice testing positive for traces of the steroid clostebol in March. Medvedev — who has made three of the last four Australian Open finals — is a potential semi-final opponent with the Russian opening his account against Thai wildcard Kasidit Samrej. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev plays the men’s night match on Rod Laver Arena Sunday against France’s Lucas Pouille, with sixth seed Casper Ruud also in action. Zverev will be on court after Sabalenka, who kicks off her title defence against American former US Open winner Stephens. The Belarusian top seed is looking to become the first woman since Martina Hingis (1997-99) to win three consecutive titles. Should she do so, Sabalenka will join a select group that also includes Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles. Carlos Alcaraz and 10-time champion Novak Djokovic are on the other side of the draw, with the heavyweight duo on a last-eight collision course. Spain’s Alcaraz begins against in-form Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko. Despite being 37 and coming off a mediocre season by his standards, few will be betting against Djokovic on the blue hardcourts where he has tasted his biggest successes. Gunning for an 11th title, he would surpass Margaret Court as the outright Slam leader on 25 should he win, with former rival Andy Murray now coaching him. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 January,2025 08:15 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPElena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, said Saturday she disagrees with the WTA Tour’s decision to provisionally suspend her coach, Stefano Vukov, for a potential breach of the WTA code of conduct, and reiterated that she never made a complaint about him. “I always said that he never mistreated me,” Rybakina said at a news conference ahead of the Australian Open. Rybakina, who is seeded No. 6, characterised the whole thing as “definitely not the ideal situation” heading into the year’s first Grand Slam. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 January,2025 08:15 AM IST | Melbourne | AP | PTICarlos Alcaraz said Saturday his burgeoning rivalry with Jannik Sinner brought out the best in him, with the Spanish star driven by winning more Grand Slam titles and toppling the Italian as World No. 1. The 21-year-old clinched both Roland-Garros and Wimbledon last year and is preparing to take Melbourne Park by storm and lift the Australian Open to complete a career Grand Slam of all four majors. “When I’m facing him, I just know that I have to play my best if I want to win. That’s it. Probably if I have a bad day against Jannik, it’s 99 percent that you’re going to lose,” said the Spaniard. “That’s what is in my mind every time that I’m going to play against him. “The good thing for me is when I’m seeing him winning titles, when I’m seeing him in the top of the ranking, it forces me to practise even harder every day,” he added. “That, I think, is great for me, having him, have such a great rivalry so far, just to give the best of me every day.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 January,2025 08:14 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPStar Indian men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the semi-finals of the Malaysia Open with a gritty victory here on Friday. The seventh-seeded Indians battled for 49 minutes to secure a 26-24, 21-15 win over the Malaysian duo of Yew Sin Ong and Ee Yi Teo in the quarter-finals of the prestigious Super 1000 tournament. Satwik and Chirag, runners-up in the previous edition, will face South Korea’s Won Ho Kim and Seung Jae Seo in the semi-finals today. Also Read: F1: Aston Martin pick Cowell as boss The opening game was a nail-biter, with both pairs keeping the contest evenly poised. The Indians held a narrow 11-9 lead at the interval and extended it to 18-16, but the Malaysians rallied, earning three consecutive points to level at 19-19 and even snatched a 20-19 lead. Undeterred, Satwik and Chirag displayed remarkable composure, saving four consecutive game points before closing the first game 26-24. In the second game, the Malaysian pair started strong, but Satwik and Chirag staged an incredible comeback to seal the match. Reflecting on their performance, Chirag said, “Great start to the year, we couldn’t have started on a better note. We want to go as deep in the tournament as possible.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 08:17 AM IST | Kuala Lumpur | PTIAston Martin Formula 1 has announced that Andy Cowell, the chief executive officer, will now also serve as the team principal of the British outfit. Cowell, renowned for his tenure as the head of Mercedes’ F1 engine division from 2008 to 2020, joined in October. Also Read: Bhambri-Olivetti bow out from Auckland Classic in semis The restructuring sees Mike Krack, the outgoing team principal, become the Chief Trackside Officer. The changes also introduced Enrico Cardile, formerly of Ferrari, as Chief Technical Officer, who is tasked with overseeing car design. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 08:15 AM IST | London | IANSIndia’s Yuki Bhambri and his French partner Albano Olivetti frittered away a solid start to make a semi-final exit from the ASB Classic in Auckland on Friday. Also Read: Kyrgios eyes Grand Slam return after two-years gap The unseeded Indo-French combine had the momentum but the top seeded pair of Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus bounced back strongly to win 3-6, 6-1, 5-10 in the last-four pairs match of the ATP 250 event. Bhambri and Olivetti took 90 points each and spilt USD 10150 for their effort in the tournament. Before teaming up with Olivetti, India No. 2 Bhambri gained valuable experience on the Tour partnering with Venus, entering the Australian Open well-prepared. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 08:13 AM IST | New Delhi | PTILove him or hate him, Nick Kyrgios is good for tennis and the sport will get a boost from his return to Grand Slam action at the Australian Open, or so he says. “We watch sport because we want personalities... It’s like drama, theatre. For me, being personally back, it adds a bit of question marks to, like, ‘What is going to happen today?’ I love that. Every time I step out on court, I don’t know if I’m going to be super controversial in a good or bad way,” 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios said on Friday, when he indicated he thinks he’ll be able to compete despite a recent issue with an abdominal muscle. Also Read: ‘So many firsts last year’ “Throughout my career, it hasn’t always been good,” continued the 29-year-old Australian, wearing a green hat in support of his favorite NBA team, the reigning champions Boston Celtics, “but it’s added a lot of excitement to the game.” As play begins at Melbourne Park on Sunday (Saturday EST), Kyrgios is sure to be among the players garnering the most attention from spectators, media and other athletes, assuming, that is, he is fit enough. He played a total of one singles match across 2023 and 2024 combined while dealing with knee and wrist problems. He made it sound after a practice session Friday morning — and before a second one planned for the afternoon — as if he’ll be ready for his first major in more than two years. “It’s good to be back. I think it’s important,” Kyrgios said. “I think the sport was getting a bit mundane.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 08:11 AM IST | Melbourne | AP | PTIWorld No. 1 Jannik Sinner is eyeing many more titles in 2025 after having a memorable 2024 season, which saw him reaching the world tennis summit and also winning multiple trophies. “It was a massive change. Many, many things have changed. Last year there were so many first times. Not only first time winning a Grand Slam, but also the year before, the first time of Davis Cup. Then after becoming World No. 1, then winning also the year-end [Nitto ATP] Finals. There are not so many first times left in our sport. Obviously, there are still two different Grand Slams that I’m still missing,” Sinner said. Also Read: Magnanimity ought to have figured in Wankhede golden jubilee celebrations The Italian star has emphasised the importance of constant improvement. During the offseason, he collaborated with his team on what he described as minor adjustments, believing that attention to small details could make a significant impact moving forward. “Of course, one part is very important for me, trying to mix up the game a little bit more, trying to move forward a little bit. That’s exactly what we were trying to do in the offseason. Service motion slightly different. Even if from outside you cannot see these changes, but as a player you realise it. “I think tennis is an all-around game. Also, the physical part is very important. The mental part is very important. We made some changes, but let’s see this year how it goes,” he said. Melbourne holds a special place in Sinner’s heart, as it marks the stage where he began to shine. Now 23, he aims to continue making his mark on the sport as he kicks off the new season. Sinner faces Nicolas Jarry in the first round of the Australian Open. “It’s a very special, special place to be back. Many, many things have changed on and off the court. Very glad that these memories will always be in my mind for so, so many years. Let’s see what I can do this year. It’s a question that I think [none] of us can answer. But it’s good to be back here, and we’ll see what the tournament is going to say,” Sinner said. 2No. of Grand Slams won by Sinner in 2024 — Aus Open and US Open This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 08:09 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSAndy Murray says he’s ready to be on the receiving end of Novak Djokovic’s ire in pressure moments at the Australian Open, with the “unique opportunity” to coach him worth it. The Serbian 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic hired Murray in November, just months after the Scot called time on his playing career. Also Read: Poisonaus! In his first comments since then, fellow former No. 1 Murray, who has known Djokovic since their junior playing days, said the call came out of the blue. “I said to him: ‘Look, I need to think about it and talk to my family. So, I spoke to them and after a couple of days, I thought it was a pretty unique opportunity and experience and would be a good idea to try it,’” the BBC quoted Murray as saying. Murray is himself a three-time major winner and five-time finalist in Australia. He and Djokovic were part of the so-called Big Four, with Rafael Nadal, who retired last year, and Roger Federer, who left the sport in 2022. Djokovic and Murray faced each other 36 times with the Serb winning 25 of them. Nineteen of those clashes came in finals, with both known for sounding off their box in pressure moments. This time it Murray may be on the receiving end. “I know it’s not easy out there, it’s stressful and at times he’s going to want to vent towards his team and his box. Providing that he’s giving his best effort and trying as hard as he can, I’m absolutely fine with him expressing himself how he wants,” said Murray. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 08:03 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPNovak Djokovic has claimed that he was “poisoned” by lead and mercury in his food while he was briefly held in Melbourne in 2022 before being deported on the eve of the Australian Open. The former World No. 1 had his visa cancelled and was kicked out of the country for refusing to be vaccinated against Covid. He was held in a detention hotel as he fought a fruitless legal battle to remain. “I had some health issues. And I realised that in that hotel in Melbourne I was fed some food that poisoned me,” the Djokovic, 37, told GQ magazine in a lengthy interview published on Thursday. High level of lead and mercury “I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but discoveries that I had a really high level of heavy metal. I had lead, a very high level of lead and mercury,” added the Serbian. When asked if he believed his food was contaminated, the Serb replied: “That’s the only way.” Also Read: "I always worked hard to be a good example": Iga Swiatek Djokovic refused to elaborate on Friday in Melbourne when asked if he had any evidence that his high heavy metal blood levels were linked to the food he was given, but he did not back down from the poisoning allegations. “The GQ article came out yesterday. I’ve done that interview many months ago,” said Djokovic, preparing for a tilt at an 11th Australian Open title and 25th Grand Slam crown. “I would appreciate not talking more in detail about that as I’d like to focus on the tennis and why I am here. If you want to see what I’ve said, you can revert to the article.” A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Home Affairs said it could not comment on individual cases “for privacy reasons,” but the government says a lease agreement with the Park Hotel, where he was held, provides for freshly cooked, individually portioned lunches and dinners for detainees. All catering staff have undertaken food safety certifications, it says. And, as of December 31, 2021, the hotel had been providing samples of the food provided to detainees at each meal to the contractor responsible for detention services. Australia says detainees had access to a variety of food and drink that was nutritious, culturally appropriate and satisfied specific medical or dietary requirements. They were also offered breakfast items such as bread, cereal, noodles, tea and coffee at any time of the day or night. No grudges with Aussies Djokovic insisted that he does not hold “any grudge over the Australian people” despite the 2022 controversy. A year later, he returned to Melbourne where he swept the title. “A lot of Australian people I’ve met in the last few years, have apologised for the treatment I received because they were embarrassed by their government,” he said in the GQ article. “And I think the government’s changed, and they reinstated my visa, and I was grateful. I love being there, and my results are a testament to my sensation of playing tennis and just being in that country. I’ve never met the people who deported me and I don’t have a desire to meet them.” 24No. of Grand Slam titles won by Djokovic 10No. of Australian Open titles won by Djokovic This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 08:01 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPIga Swiatek, a self-described “control freak,” is taking new precautions — including holding on to extra samples of medicine she takes, in case they need to be tested at some point — after a doping case she described Friday as “probably, like, the worst time in my life.” Swiatek failed an out-of-competition drug test in August, but her one-month suspension wasn’t known until late November, after she sat out three events without revealing why. By the time her case was announced by the ITIA — which accepted that her sample was tainted because of a contaminated sleep aid — all that was left for her to serve was a week, which landed in the offseason. On Friday, Swiatek described the initial period she was sidelined, which she talked up at the time to personal reasons, as “pretty chaotic” and said, “For sure, it wasn’t easy; it was probably, like, the worst time in my life.” Also Read: Pratika Rawal's 89-run knock helps IND chase 242 vs IRE in Rajkot “It got pretty awkward. Like we chose for the first tournament to say ‘personal reasons’ because we honestly thought the suspension is going to be lifted soon. From the beginning it was obvious that something was contaminated because the level of this substance in my urine was so low that it had to be contamination,” Swiatek said. “We started, yeah with personal issues,’ ” she added, “because I needed also time to figure everything out.” Swiatek said she was worried about what other players’ reactions would be at the start of this season. “Besides the fact I couldn’t play, this was the worst thing for me: What people would say. Because I always worked hard to be a good example, to show my integrity, show good behavior,” she said. “Having no control over this case really freaked me out a bit. But in the locker room, I mean, the girls are great.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 07:58 AM IST | Melbourne | AP | PTIADVERTISEMENT
