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Zheng Qinwen withdraws from United Cup to focus on Australian Open
The Associated Press | Updated Dec. 21 - 11:41 p.m. | Save Story
Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen has announced she will not play at the United Cup mixed-teams tournament starting later this month, opting instead to focus on preparations for the 2025 season's first Grand Slam. In a breakthrough season for the 22-year-old, Zheng made the Australian Open final in before clinching gold at the Paris Olympics and finished runner-up at the WTA Finals to end the year ranked at No. 5. She was due to represent China at the United Cup starting Dec. 27. Zheng's absence means world No. 175 Gao Xinyu will be China's top-ranked female player at the United Cup. World No. 45 Zhang Zhizhen will lead the men's lineup for China as they face Brazil in Perth, Australia on Friday.
Russian tennis player Daniil Savelev accepts 2-year doping suspension
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 20 - 8:48 a.m. | Save Story
The International Tennis Integrity Agency says that Russian tennis player Daniil Savelev has accepted a two-year suspension for doping. It says that Savelev tested positive for the prohibited substance meldonium in July 2024. The doping watchdog says it believes that the player ingested the substance unintentionally but that he had accepted the ban since he did nothing to mitigate the rules violation. Savelev reached a career-high world doubles ranking of 1,486 in August 2022.
Program to prevent cyberbullying in tennis has reported 15 abusive posters to law enforcement
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 19 - 8:42 a.m. | Save Story
The identities of 15 "highly abusive account authors" have been reported to national law enforcement and about 12,000 posts or comments were pointed out to social media platforms this year as part of a new attempt to protect tennis players and officials from cyberbullying. The results of the first 10 months of the program were announced Thursday by the groups that launched it: the WTA women's professional tour, the International Tennis Federation and the organizations that run Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. The most common types of abuse were sexist remarks or sexually inappropriate content, and nearly half of the online abuse came from what were described as "angry gamblers."
AP Exclusive: Pro tennis player Jenson Brooksby talks about living with autism
Howard Fendrich, Associated Press | Updated Dec. 19 - 5:02 a.m. | Save Story
American professional tennis player Jenson Brooksby tells The Associated Press he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was nonverbal at about 2 1/2 years old. Brooksby is getting ready to get back on the tennis tour next month after missing nearly two full years because of injuries, operations and a suspension connected to missed drug tests. He is planning to make his Grand Slam return at the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 12. That was the last tournament he played, back in January 2023, when he upset three-time major finalist Casper Ruud. Brooksby was ranked No. 33 at age 21 in 2022.
Simona Halep gets a wild-card entry for Australian Open qualifying
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 18 - 2:41 p.m. | Save Story
Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep and Lleyton Hewitt's 16-year-old son Cruz Hewitt are among the players who have been awarded wild-card entries for Australian Open qualifying. Tennis Australia announced the wild-card recipients on Wednesday. Qualifying begins on Jan. 6. The main-draw action at the first Grand Slam tournament of 2025 will begin on Jan. 12. Halep was the runner-up at Melbourne Park in 2018 and won major titles at the French Open later that year and at Wimbledon in 2019. She is currently 877th and hasn't played at any Grand Slam tournament since 2022 after missing 1 1/2 years because of a doping case.
The ATP men's tennis tour paid $1.3 million to 26 players via a guaranteed-income plan in 2024
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 18 - 6:48 a.m. | Save Story
The ATP men's tennis tour is paying out $1.3 million to a total of 26 players in 2024 under a new financial program called Baseline that guarantees minimum annual incomes for players ranked in the top 250. The tour said Monday that players received money in each of three categories: 17 got paid as part of minimum guarantees that make up the difference if players do not reach certain thresholds in prize money, three through injury protection that helps those whose tournament participation is limited by health issues, and seven via newcomer investment that provides funds to new members of the top 125.
Sports on TV for Wednesday, Dec. 11
The Associated Press | Updated Dec. 17 - 3:45 p.m. | Save Story
(All times Eastern)
Rafael Nadal says he thought about taking a mental health break a few years ago
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 17 - 10:39 a.m. | Save Story
Rafael Nadal says in an essay posted online that he thought about taking a mental health break from tennis a few years ago. Nadal's essay appeared on The Player's Tribune site on Tuesday, less than a month after the last match of the 22-time Grand Slam champion's career. He writes that there were times he had trouble controlling his breathing during matches and it was difficult to control his mind. The 38-year-old Nadal headed into retirement after playing for Spain in the Davis Cup in November, following two seasons filled with injury issues that limited him to competing only sparingly.
Sports on TV for Tuesday, Dec. 17
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 16 - 8:10 a.m. | Save Story
(All times Eastern)
2014 champion Stan Wawrinka receives wild-card entry for January's Australian Open
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 12 - 9:58 p.m. | Save Story
by Australians Tristan Schoolkate, Li Tu, James McCabe, Daria Saville, Ajla Tomljanovic, Emerson Jones, Talia Gibson and Maya Joint. Wawrinka won the Australian Open in 2014, beating Rafael Nadal in four sets, for his first Grand Slam singles title. He peaked at world No. 3 with that victory, and later added major titles at the French Open in 2015 and the 2016 U.S. Open.
The US Open's first female tournament director will step down in 2025
The Associated Press | Updated Dec. 11 - 2:50 p.m. | Save Story
Stacey Allaster will step down as the U.S. Open's tournament director after the 2025 edition of the Grand Slam event. She will shift from her job as the U.S. Tennis Association's chief executive of professional tennis to an advisory role with the organization. The USTA announced Allaster's job changes Wednesday and said she will help pick her successor as tournament director after the U.S. Open ends next September. Allaster became the U.S. Open tournament director in 2020, the first woman to hold that position in the history of a tournament first held in 1881. She has worked at the USTA since 2016.
NCAA team tennis championships will be held at the USTA National Campus in Orlando for 10 years
The Associated Press | Updated Dec. 9 - 1:25 p.m. | Save Story
The NCAA Division I tennis team championships will be held at the USTA National Campus in Orlando under a 10-year agreement that will take effect in 2028. The U.S. Tennis Association announced the deal on Monday. The USTA said it plans to improve the site's facilities, including adding six indoor courts, and work with the NCAA to raise the event's profile. The NCAA already had said the Orlando-area USTA campus would host the women's and men's Division I team championships in the spring of 2028; this deal tacks on nine additional years.
Aryna Sabalenka wins the WTA Player of the Year award and Emma Navarro is picked as Most Improved
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 9 - 9:30 a.m. | Save Story
Aryna Sabalenka has received the WTA Player of the Year award for the first time after winning two Grand Slam titles and finishing 2024 at No. 1 in the rankings. The results of voting by members of the tennis media were announced Monday. Emma Navarro was honored as Most Improved Player, Paula Badosa was named Comeback Player, Lulu Sun was Newcomer of the Year, and Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini were picked as the Doubles Team of the Year. Sabalenka won the Australian Open in January and the U.S. Open in September and overtook Iga Swiatek for the top ranking in October.
Nick Kyrgios enters the Australian Open for his first Grand Slam tournament in more than 2 years
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 6 - 2:11 a.m. | Save Story
Former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios has entered the Australian Open. It will be his first Grand Slam tournament in more than two years. Australian Open organizers announced entry lists for the tournament and said that Krygios had entered with a protected ranking. He's been mostly sidelined with wrist and knee injuries since reaching the quarterfinals of the 2022 U.S. Open. Kyrgios recently announced he will make his return at the Brisbane International beginning Dec. 29 after playing only one ATP Tour match in more than two years. Also returning in Australia are Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Belinda Bencic and former No. 4 Kei Nishikori.
Tennis official from Bosnia-Herzegovina suspended and fined for betting on matches
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 5 - 10:27 a.m. | Save Story
A tennis official from Bosnia-Herzegovina has been suspended for four years by the International Tennis Integrity Agency for six violations of the tennis anti-corruption program. Damjan Dejanovic admitted betting on professional tennis matches. The ITIA announced his punishment on Thursday. He was fined 5,000 euros or about $5,285. Dejanovic officiated at International Tennis Federation tournaments with $15,000 in prize money. The ITIA said Dejanovic admitted wagering on tennis matches and denied charges connected to manipulating entry of scoring data. But an independent hearing officer found him liable for six alleged breaches of the rules from 2022 to 2023.
Pegula returns to New York after US Open breakthrough for MSG exhibition that includes Alcaraz
Brian Mahoney, Associated Press | Updated Dec. 4 - 8:30 p.m. | Save Story
When Jessica Pegula agreed to play in an exhibition tennis event at Madison Square Garden, she had no idea how her career would change before she got there. She had never been past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament. But shortly after committing to play in The Garden Cup, she broke through and reached the U.S. Open final in September, losing to current No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka. Pegula lost to Emma Navarro in her return match Wednesday night, before Carlos Alcaraz edged Ben Shelton.
Novak Djokovic to kick off new tennis season at Brisbane International ahead of Australian Open
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 4 - 4:05 a.m. | Save Story
Novak Djokovic says he will kick off the new tennis season at the Brisbane International tournament, a warmup event for the Australian Open. It will be only the second time Djokovic plays there, having lost to Ernests Gulbis in the first round in 2009. The tournament is scheduled for Dec 29 – Jan 5 with Grigor Dimitrov, Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe and Nick Kyrgios also set to compete. Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam champion who has spent more weeks at No. 1 than any other player in tennis history. He'll be seeking his 100th tour-level title.
Carlos Alcaraz adds coach Samuel Lopez to work alongside Juan Carlos Ferrero
Brian Mahoney, Associated Press | Posted Dec. 3 - 6:54 p.m. | Save Story
Carlos Alcaraz will have an additional coach with him when the 2025 tennis season begins. The four-time Grand Slam champion has hired Samuel Lopez to work alongside Juan Carlos Ferrero, who has coached the Spaniard since he was 15 years old. Lopez has coached Ferrero, among other players. The 21-year-old Alcaraz believes the pairing can help push him back to the top of the rankings. Alcaraz is in New York to play an exhibition match Wednesday against Ben Shelton at Madison Square Garden.
Neale Fraser, Australia's Davis Cup great, dies at 91
The Associated Press | Updated Dec. 3 - 12:42 a.m. | Save Story
Neale Fraser, who won three Grand Slam singles titles and guided Australia to four Davis Cup titles in 24 years as team captain, has died at 91. Tennis Australia says the sport "has lost one of its giants." Fraser beat Australian tennis great Rod Laver to win the Wimbledon title in 1960 in between sweeps at the U.S. Open where he won the singles, men's doubles and mixed titles in 1959 and '60. As a player he helped Australia win four consecutive Davis Cup titles. Laver says Fraser was "a true gem in a golden era of Australian tennis legends."
