Monday, 27 January 2025
Sunday, 26 January 2025
Saturday, 25 January 2025
NOVAK DJOKOVIC PUBLISHES PROOF OF HIS INJURY IN HOSTILE MESSAGE TO CRITICS AFTER CONTROVERSIAL AUSTRALIAN OPEN EXIT
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| Djokovic/X |
Novak Djokovic responded to critics by sharing an update on the injury that forced him to retire mid-match during his 2025 Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev. Many had accused him of faking the injury.
Djokovic was chasing his 25th Major title in Melbourne, aiming to surpass Margaret Court's record. While not the favorite to win initially, he started strong, defeating Nishesh Basavareddy, Jaime Faria, Tomas Machac, Jiri Lehecka, and Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semifinals, where he faced Zverev.
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| Getty |
After losing the first set 6-7(5) to the German, the former World No. 1 experienced worsening pain in his leg and retired, completely drained. He had already raised concerns during his match against Carlos Alcaraz, where he took an extended medical timeout, and the injury ultimately became a hurdle he couldn't overcome.
Later, Novak Djokovic took to X (formerly Twitter) to share an update, posting a picture of an MRI scan of his left hamstring. In the caption, he wrote:
"Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury “experts” out there."
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| Getty |
John McEnroe among those who questioned Novak Djokovic's Australian Open injury situation.
- Pritha Ghosh
MADISON KEYS STUNS ARYNA SABALENKA IN THRILLER TO WIN AUSTRALIA OPEN TITLE
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| Madison Keys holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and poses with ball kids after defeating Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open tennis champion |
Underdog Madison Keys upset Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in the Australian Open final on Saturday to win her first Grand Slam crown at the age of 29.
The American ended world number one Sabalenka's dream of becoming the first woman for 26 years to win a third successive Melbourne Park singles title.
Keys yelled in delight and wiped away tears on securing the title after withstanding a fierce fightback from the Belarusian two-time defending champion.
Sabalenka, the 2023 and 2024 champion, buried her head in a towel after her 20-match win streak at Melbourne Park was ended.
For 19th-seeded Keys it was the culmination of a 15-year journey from teenage prodigy to major winner.
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| Madison Keys, right, reacts as she holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka. AP |
"I have wanted this for so long and I have been in one other Grand Slam final and it did not go my way," said an emotional Keys, whose coach Bjorn Fratangelo is also her husband. "I didn't know if I was ever going to get back to this position to try to win a trophy again."
The American had been tipped as a future world number one after winning her maiden WTA Tour match at the age of 14.
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| Madison Keys plays a forehand return to Aryna Sabalenka. AP |
She made her first major semi-final at Melbourne Park 10 years ago as a 19-year-old, but a decade on she can finally call herself a Grand Slam champion.
"I made my very first Grand Slam semi-final here in Melbourne," said Keys, the runner-up at the US Open in 2017.
"So to now have won my first Grand Slam in the same place means the absolute world to me. "My team believed in me every step of the way. So thank you so much," added Keys, who will now equal her career-high seventh in the world ranking she attained nine years ago.
Madison Keys is embraced by her team as she holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka. AP.
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| Madison Keys is embraced by her team as she holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka. AP |
"They believed in me when I didn't believe in myself, and helped me every step of the way. Last year was so tough, with some really bad injuries, I didn't know if I was gonna be able to do it again."
'What a tournament'
Keys becomes the fourth oldest first-time winner of a major since the Open Era began in 1968.
Sabalenka was gracious after a first Melbourne defeat since 2022. "First of all, Madison, what a tournament. You have been fighting really hard to get this trophy," Sabalenka said. "I really feel like it's home when I'm here and I'll come back stronger and do my best next year."
It was Keys who came out of the blocks playing exemplary tennis to put Sabalenka under pressure and race to the first set in 35 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
Madison Keys holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka. AP
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| Madison Keys holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka. AP |
The Belarusian began to flip the script in the second set, breaking in the third game and moving ominously ahead 3-1.
Another break followed on a brilliant Sabalenka cross-court pass and she levelled the match after an hour and 20 minutes on court.
The 26-year-old Sabalenka by now was timing the ball much better and a younger Keys might have buckled. But this mature version of Keys, who battled all the way to beat Iga Swiatek in a 10-point final-set tiebreak in the semi-finals, is made of sterner stuff.
At 5-6 when Sabalenka served to take it to another final-set tiebreak, Keys brought up two match points.
She held her nerve to secure the long-awaited title on the second with her 29th winner after 2hr 2min.
- Agence France-Presse
Thursday, 23 January 2025
ARYNA SABALENKA BEATS PAULA BADOSA TO REACH AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2025 WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL
Aryna Sabalenka beats Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2 to reach Australian Open 2025 women's singles final.
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| Aryna Sabalenka in action at Australian Open © AFP |
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka put her close friendship with Paula Badosa aside Thursday to sweep past the Spaniard into a third successive Australian Open final. The Belarusian world number one came home 6-4, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena and will meet either Polish second seed Iga Swiatek or American 19th seed Madison Keys in Saturday's decider. The hard, fast courts of Melbourne Park have been the 26-year-old's happy place. She has now won 20 straight matches at the Australian Open to close in on a third consecutive crown -- something that hasn't happened this century.
The last person to achieve the feat was Martina Hingis in 1999 and only four other women have completed the three-peat -- Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.
"Super tough match against a friend," she said. "Super happy to be through."
Sabalenka last year described Badosa as her "best friend" and "soulmate", but it was all business on a cool Melbourne evening.
The 11th seed Badosa stunned world number three Coco Gauff in straight sets to reach her maiden Slam semi-final at the age of 27 and came out swinging.
She gifted Sabalenka a break point in the opening game on a double fault, but then nailed some big winners to save and hang on.
It was then the Belarusian's turn to offer two break points to the Spaniard with some sloppy power shots and Badosa capitalised to open a 2-0 lead when a forehand sprayed wide.
But the top seed found her radar and rallied from 0-40 down on Badosa's next serve to break back as her opponent's error-count mounted.
She then won three in a row to surge 4-2 clear as Badosa fluffed some vital shots.
With rain arriving the roof was closed, but it didn't halt the Sabalenka juggernaut, wrapping up the set in 53 minutes with an ace, slapping 19 winners to Badosa's six.
Badosa tumbled to the floor early in set two as she reached for a shot, before giving the thumbs up, with the action briefly delayed as both players burst out laughing.
But Sabalenka quickly composed herself and broke for a 2-1 lead when Badosa sent down consecutive double faults, then broke again with the Spaniard having no answer to her bruising baseline game.
The win kept alive Sabalenka's quest to still be world number one when she leaves Melbourne.
If she had lost, Swiatek would have taken it back. Should the pair meet in the final, the winner will depart the tournament with the top ranking.
Despite losing Badosa's run to the last four capped a remarkable comeback.
A former world number two, she spent several months out after a brutal back injury in 2023 and last year considered quitting.
Instead, her Melbourne exploits will return her to the top 10 for the first time since October 2022.
- Agence France-Presse
