MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — He lost the first two sets, was low on confidence and was one point from a quarterfinal exit at the Australian Open, so Daniil Medvedev asked himself the question: What would Novak do?
Fair question. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic is a nine-time Australian Open champion who finished one win short of a calendar-year Grand Slam in 2021.
Modelling himself after the 20-time Grand Slam champion, Medvedev told himself late Wednesday to make Felix Auger-Aliassime fight . . .
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Naomi Osaka was not the first professional tennis player to withdraw during a Grand Slam tournament because of mental health concerns — and she likely won’t be the last. Others just might not always be as up-front as Osaka was.
“I’m sure there’s quite a few people struggling. More than we know,” said U.S. Davis Cup captain Mardy Fish, who pulled out of the 2012 U.S. Open when he had a panic attack before he was supposed to face Roger Federer. “There have been plenty of players that have had some mental health issues, whether you . . .
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Cries of “Vai!” (Go!), “Forza!” (Let’s go!) and even “Andiamo, amore mio!” (Let’s go, my love!) rang through Centre Court, supporting Matteo Berrettini in his native tongue on his way to becoming Italy’s first Grand Slam finalist in 45 years.
With booming serves delivering 22 aces, and powerful forehands helping compile a total of 60 winners, the No. 7-seeded Berrettini used an 11-game run to grab a big lead and then held on to beat No. 14 Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-4 at Wimbledon on Friday.
“I have no words. Really. Just, ‘Thanks.’ And I need, I think, a couple of hours to understand what happened,” Berrettini told . . .
NEW YORK (AP) — Naomi Osaka says former first lady Michelle Obama and sports stars Novak Djokovic, Michael Phelps and Stephen Curry were among those who reached out to offer support after she withdrew from the French Open to take a mental health break.
In an essay in Time magazine’s Olympic preview issue, on sale Friday, Osaka — a four-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1-ranked player — wrote that she hopes “we can enact measures to protect athletes, especially . . .
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — No. 2-seeded Aryna Sabalenka is into the second week at Wimbledon and on the verge of a career breakthrough.
The hard-hitting Belarusian beat qualifier María Camila Osorio Serrano 6-0, 6-3 Friday to reach the fourth round, and she might be overdue for a deep run in a Grand Slam. Sabalenka is the only woman among the top 20 seeds who has yet to reach a major quarterfinal.
The time seems right for that to change: Sabalenka leads the tour with 32 match wins this year, her seeding is a career high . . .
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — There was more slipping and sliding Wednesday at Wimbledon, and former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu made another early Grand Slam exit when she lost to Alice Cornet in the first round, 6-2, 6-1.
Andreescu won the 2019 Open, but the Canadian is 2-5 in majors since, including three opening-round defeats.
As the third day of play began, footing on the grass continued to be an issue. Andreescu, Novak Djokovic, American John . . .
