Due to injuries, Nadal hasn’t played a single tournament since January, when he reached the quarterfinals at Brisbane International. He looked in good shape in his first-round win against Flavio Cobolli, but fourth-seeded de Minaur proved to be too much of a challenge.

 Nadal, who won 12 titles in Barcelona, was greeted by loud cheers from the sell-out crowd as he made his way off the court.

Speaking with reporters after the match, Nadal said that he didn’t want to take any risks and that he was just happy because he was able to play. Prior to playing in Brisbane, he didn’t play for almost a year due to a hip injury.

“The moment I lost the first set, the match was over,” Nadal told the reporters. “I can’t play a three-hour match right now. This wasn’t the place for me to give everything I have. We’ll see what happens in Paris. I want to be competitive there, that’s where I have to give it all.”

Nadal’s focus will now be on the French Open, where he’ll attempt to win his 15th Roland Garros title and his 23rd Grand Slam.

The post Rafael Nadal’s Return to Tennis at Barcelona Open Ends in the 2nd Round appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Murray was eliminated in the third round of the tournament, suffering a 7-5, 5-7, 6-7 (5) loss to Tomas Machac on Sunday. During the third set, Murray rolled his ankle and was in obvious discomfort but decided to tough it out.

According to Murray, he will visit an ankle specialist once he returns to Great Britain in order to determine his next steps.

“Goes without saying this is a tough one to take and I’ll be out for an extended period. But I’ll be back with 1 hip and no ankle ligaments when the time is right,” Murray wrote on Instagram. 

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A post shared by Andy Murray (@andymurray)

This marks an unfortunate development for Murray, considering he might be playing his last season as a pro. After an appearance at the Dubai Tennis Championship in February, Murray hinted that will retire from tennis by saying that he doesn’t “have too long left”.

It is believed that Murray intends to compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris before calling it quits. He is the only tennis player with consecutive Olympic gold in men’s singles, having won the tournaments in 2012 in London and in 2016 in Rio De Janeiro.

The post Andy Murray Says He’ll Be Out for “Extended Period” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Osaka gave birth to her daughter Shai in Los Angeles in July. “She’s really pumped, excited to be back in Brisbane,” tournament director Cameron Pearson said on Wednesday before revealing: “She arrived Christmas morning and was out practicing a few hours later. No Christmas pudding for her, she was straight into it.”

Along with Osaka, former ATP men’s number one Rafael Nadal is also expected to mark his return to tennis at the Brisbane International this week. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has not played since last January after he suffered a hip flexor injury at the Australian Open.

The post Naomi Osaka, Rafael Nadal to Return to Tennis in Brisbane appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Placed fifth in the WTA women’s singles ranking, Pegula’s match was off to a difficult start when she went down 5-3 in the first set. She then successfully broke Rybakina’s service, winning four games in a row to take the set.

Next up, Pegula will have to face number one seed Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday. In her first match of the tournament, Sabalenka brushed aside Maria Sakkari 6-0, 6-1.

The post Jessica Pegula Off to Winning Start at WTA Finals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Keys ousted Vondrousova, the reigning Wimbledon champion, in straight sets (6-1, 6-4) to set up a matchup against Aryna Sabalenka. In a second semi-final matchup, the U.S. tennis sensation Coco Gauff will play Karolina Muchova.

Keys made the US Open finals back in 2017 but struggled to make a deep run at the Flushing Meadows in recent years. She suffered a first-round exit in 2021 and only reached the third round last year.

However, the 28-year-old has been in good form at the 2023 US Open, giving up just one set on her road to the semi-finals. She was dominant against Vondrousova, never allowing the Czech player to get comfortable in the match. It also might have helped that Vondrousova battled a sore arm that caused her to withdraw from the doubles tournament.

“I just love it here. I love playing here. In front of a home crowd you can never feel like you can’t get out of any situation,” said Keys after the match. “I knew I was going to have to keep trying to get to the net, be aggressive.”

The post Madison Keys Through to the US Open Semis After Win Over Marketa Vondrousova appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Kyrgios reached the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows last year before being eliminated by Karen Khachanov. It was the Australian’s best U.S. Open result and the first time he advanced past the third round.

Kyrgios had arguably his best season in 2022, making the Finals at Wimbledon, winning Australian Open in doubles, and winning Washington Open. However, a series of injuries have sidelined him for the better part of 2023.

The 28-year-old player was first forced to withdraw from the 2023 Australian Open due to arthroscopic surgery and then missed French Open while recovering. Kyrgios returned to action in June at Stuttgart Open but ended up suffering a wrist injury while preparing for Wimbledon. His absence from U.S. Open is likely the result of the same injury.

A good run in 2022 helped Kyrgios reach No. 19 on ATP Rankings in February. This was the first time that he was ranked in the Top 20 since 2018. However, extended absence from tennis courts caused him to slide all the way to No. 92.

U.S. Open is currently scheduled to take place from August 28 to September 10.

The post Nick Kyrgios Won’t Play at the 2023 U.S. Open appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Alcaraz was considered one of the favorites to win the tournament before this shocking exit. But despite the loss, the 20-year player is set to surpass Novak Djokovic and become the new No. 1 on ATP Rankings after they are updated later this week.

This undoubtedly ranks as the biggest win of Marozsan’s career. The Hungarian has never made the main draw of an ATP event, and he never beat a Top 100-ranked opponent in his tennis career.

Marozsan showed impressive composure against Alcaraz despite the fact that he was facing a Grand Slam winner. This was especially the case in the second set tiebreak when he won six straight points to climb out of a 4-1 hole and punch his ticket to the Round of 16.

Speaking with reporters after the match, Alcaraz praised Marozsan for his performance.

“He surprised me a lot. His level was really, really high,” said Alcaraz. “If he plays at that level, he’s going to surprise more than one. I’m sure he’s going to break the top 100 very, very soon.”

The post Carlos Alcaraz Out of Italian Open Exit After Losing to No.135-Ranked Fabian Marozsan appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

This move comes after Iga Swiatek won the women’s competition last year, and with it, 332,260 euros ($364,000) in prize money. This is less than half of the 836,355 euros ($916,000) that Novak Djokovic was paid for winning the men’s tournament.

“For the first time in history, we have started the process that over three years will lead to equal prize money between the women’s and the men’s tournaments,” Italian tennis federation president Angelo Binaghi stated during the presentation for this year’s event on Tuesday. “We’re talking about 8 million euros (nearly $9 million) for each event.”

Billie Jean King often explained that her reason for moving to form the women’s pro circuit was due to the pay discrepancy. King won $600 for her 1970 Italian Open title, while Ilie Nastase was awarded $3,500 for winning the men’s event that same year.

The post Italian Open to Award Equal Prize Money to Women and Men appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In a video posted on Instagram, Barty said that she no longer feels willing to make sacrifices that are required to play the sport on a high level. The Australian also added that she wants to “chase other dreams.”

“I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want, and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top of the level any more,” Barty explained. “I am spent.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ash Barty (@ashbarty)

Ash Barty walks away as the three-time Grand Slam winner and a reigning champion at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. She has a total of 15 career titles and a career record of 305–102. Barty also walks away as just the eighth female player to pick up a Grand Slam title on three different surfaces.

The most recent major trophy for Barty came earlier this year when she became the first Australian to win the singles title at the Australian Open since Chris O’Neil did it in 1978. Moreover, she did it in a dominant fashion, never surrendering a set while failing to hold her opponent under four games just once.

Barty becomes just the second woman to retire from professional tennis while at the top. The other is Justine Henin, who also retired as a 25-year-old player back in 2008. Hennin’s retirement lasted 16 months, after which she made a short comeback in 2010 before retiring a year later.

The post Ash Barty, World’s No. 1 Tennis Player, Retires at 25 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Federer hasn’t played tennis since last year’s Australian Open, being forced to undergo a knee surgery in February that ruled him out for the remainder of the season. The 39-year-old star initially planned to make a full recovery in time for 2021, but several setbacks prolonged his rehab.

“Roger has decided not to play the 2021 Australian Open,” said Godsick in a statement released to media. “He has made strong progress in the last couple of months with his knee and his fitness. However, after consultation with his team, he decided that the best decision for him in the long run is to return to competitive tennis after the Australian Open.”

According to Godsick, Federer is now eyeing a return in late February, and the two are working on a tournament schedule for the upcoming year.

Roger Federer won six Australian Open titles, with the last one coming in 2018. He also has one finals loss to Rafael Nadal in 2009 and eight semi-finals appearances.

This year’s edition of the tournament was postponed three weeks due to a coronavirus pandemic. The opening matches are now set for February 8th, while the finals should take place on February 20th for the women’s singles and February 21st for the men’s singles.

The post Roger Federer Won’t Play at 2021 Australian Open appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Due to injuries, Nadal hasn’t played a single tournament since January, when he reached the quarterfinals at Brisbane International. He looked in good shape in his first-round win against Flavio Cobolli, but fourth-seeded de Minaur proved to be too much of a challenge.

 Nadal, who won 12 titles in Barcelona, was greeted by loud cheers from the sell-out crowd as he made his way off the court.

Speaking with reporters after the match, Nadal said that he didn’t want to take any risks and that he was just happy because he was able to play. Prior to playing in Brisbane, he didn’t play for almost a year due to a hip injury.

“The moment I lost the first set, the match was over,” Nadal told the reporters. “I can’t play a three-hour match right now. This wasn’t the place for me to give everything I have. We’ll see what happens in Paris. I want to be competitive there, that’s where I have to give it all.”

Nadal’s focus will now be on the French Open, where he’ll attempt to win his 15th Roland Garros title and his 23rd Grand Slam.

The post Rafael Nadal’s Return to Tennis at Barcelona Open Ends in the 2nd Round appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Murray was eliminated in the third round of the tournament, suffering a 7-5, 5-7, 6-7 (5) loss to Tomas Machac on Sunday. During the third set, Murray rolled his ankle and was in obvious discomfort but decided to tough it out.

According to Murray, he will visit an ankle specialist once he returns to Great Britain in order to determine his next steps.

“Goes without saying this is a tough one to take and I’ll be out for an extended period. But I’ll be back with 1 hip and no ankle ligaments when the time is right,” Murray wrote on Instagram. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Andy Murray (@andymurray)

This marks an unfortunate development for Murray, considering he might be playing his last season as a pro. After an appearance at the Dubai Tennis Championship in February, Murray hinted that will retire from tennis by saying that he doesn’t “have too long left”.

It is believed that Murray intends to compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris before calling it quits. He is the only tennis player with consecutive Olympic gold in men’s singles, having won the tournaments in 2012 in London and in 2016 in Rio De Janeiro.

The post Andy Murray Says He’ll Be Out for “Extended Period” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Osaka gave birth to her daughter Shai in Los Angeles in July. “She’s really pumped, excited to be back in Brisbane,” tournament director Cameron Pearson said on Wednesday before revealing: “She arrived Christmas morning and was out practicing a few hours later. No Christmas pudding for her, she was straight into it.”

Along with Osaka, former ATP men’s number one Rafael Nadal is also expected to mark his return to tennis at the Brisbane International this week. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has not played since last January after he suffered a hip flexor injury at the Australian Open.

The post Naomi Osaka, Rafael Nadal to Return to Tennis in Brisbane appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Placed fifth in the WTA women’s singles ranking, Pegula’s match was off to a difficult start when she went down 5-3 in the first set. She then successfully broke Rybakina’s service, winning four games in a row to take the set.

Next up, Pegula will have to face number one seed Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday. In her first match of the tournament, Sabalenka brushed aside Maria Sakkari 6-0, 6-1.

The post Jessica Pegula Off to Winning Start at WTA Finals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Keys ousted Vondrousova, the reigning Wimbledon champion, in straight sets (6-1, 6-4) to set up a matchup against Aryna Sabalenka. In a second semi-final matchup, the U.S. tennis sensation Coco Gauff will play Karolina Muchova.

Keys made the US Open finals back in 2017 but struggled to make a deep run at the Flushing Meadows in recent years. She suffered a first-round exit in 2021 and only reached the third round last year.

However, the 28-year-old has been in good form at the 2023 US Open, giving up just one set on her road to the semi-finals. She was dominant against Vondrousova, never allowing the Czech player to get comfortable in the match. It also might have helped that Vondrousova battled a sore arm that caused her to withdraw from the doubles tournament.

“I just love it here. I love playing here. In front of a home crowd you can never feel like you can’t get out of any situation,” said Keys after the match. “I knew I was going to have to keep trying to get to the net, be aggressive.”

The post Madison Keys Through to the US Open Semis After Win Over Marketa Vondrousova appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Kyrgios reached the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows last year before being eliminated by Karen Khachanov. It was the Australian’s best U.S. Open result and the first time he advanced past the third round.

Kyrgios had arguably his best season in 2022, making the Finals at Wimbledon, winning Australian Open in doubles, and winning Washington Open. However, a series of injuries have sidelined him for the better part of 2023.

The 28-year-old player was first forced to withdraw from the 2023 Australian Open due to arthroscopic surgery and then missed French Open while recovering. Kyrgios returned to action in June at Stuttgart Open but ended up suffering a wrist injury while preparing for Wimbledon. His absence from U.S. Open is likely the result of the same injury.

A good run in 2022 helped Kyrgios reach No. 19 on ATP Rankings in February. This was the first time that he was ranked in the Top 20 since 2018. However, extended absence from tennis courts caused him to slide all the way to No. 92.

U.S. Open is currently scheduled to take place from August 28 to September 10.

The post Nick Kyrgios Won’t Play at the 2023 U.S. Open appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Alcaraz was considered one of the favorites to win the tournament before this shocking exit. But despite the loss, the 20-year player is set to surpass Novak Djokovic and become the new No. 1 on ATP Rankings after they are updated later this week.

This undoubtedly ranks as the biggest win of Marozsan’s career. The Hungarian has never made the main draw of an ATP event, and he never beat a Top 100-ranked opponent in his tennis career.

Marozsan showed impressive composure against Alcaraz despite the fact that he was facing a Grand Slam winner. This was especially the case in the second set tiebreak when he won six straight points to climb out of a 4-1 hole and punch his ticket to the Round of 16.

Speaking with reporters after the match, Alcaraz praised Marozsan for his performance.

“He surprised me a lot. His level was really, really high,” said Alcaraz. “If he plays at that level, he’s going to surprise more than one. I’m sure he’s going to break the top 100 very, very soon.”

The post Carlos Alcaraz Out of Italian Open Exit After Losing to No.135-Ranked Fabian Marozsan appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

This move comes after Iga Swiatek won the women’s competition last year, and with it, 332,260 euros ($364,000) in prize money. This is less than half of the 836,355 euros ($916,000) that Novak Djokovic was paid for winning the men’s tournament.

“For the first time in history, we have started the process that over three years will lead to equal prize money between the women’s and the men’s tournaments,” Italian tennis federation president Angelo Binaghi stated during the presentation for this year’s event on Tuesday. “We’re talking about 8 million euros (nearly $9 million) for each event.”

Billie Jean King often explained that her reason for moving to form the women’s pro circuit was due to the pay discrepancy. King won $600 for her 1970 Italian Open title, while Ilie Nastase was awarded $3,500 for winning the men’s event that same year.

The post Italian Open to Award Equal Prize Money to Women and Men appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In a video posted on Instagram, Barty said that she no longer feels willing to make sacrifices that are required to play the sport on a high level. The Australian also added that she wants to “chase other dreams.”

“I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want, and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top of the level any more,” Barty explained. “I am spent.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ash Barty (@ashbarty)

Ash Barty walks away as the three-time Grand Slam winner and a reigning champion at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. She has a total of 15 career titles and a career record of 305–102. Barty also walks away as just the eighth female player to pick up a Grand Slam title on three different surfaces.

The most recent major trophy for Barty came earlier this year when she became the first Australian to win the singles title at the Australian Open since Chris O’Neil did it in 1978. Moreover, she did it in a dominant fashion, never surrendering a set while failing to hold her opponent under four games just once.

Barty becomes just the second woman to retire from professional tennis while at the top. The other is Justine Henin, who also retired as a 25-year-old player back in 2008. Hennin’s retirement lasted 16 months, after which she made a short comeback in 2010 before retiring a year later.

The post Ash Barty, World’s No. 1 Tennis Player, Retires at 25 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Federer hasn’t played tennis since last year’s Australian Open, being forced to undergo a knee surgery in February that ruled him out for the remainder of the season. The 39-year-old star initially planned to make a full recovery in time for 2021, but several setbacks prolonged his rehab.

“Roger has decided not to play the 2021 Australian Open,” said Godsick in a statement released to media. “He has made strong progress in the last couple of months with his knee and his fitness. However, after consultation with his team, he decided that the best decision for him in the long run is to return to competitive tennis after the Australian Open.”

According to Godsick, Federer is now eyeing a return in late February, and the two are working on a tournament schedule for the upcoming year.

Roger Federer won six Australian Open titles, with the last one coming in 2018. He also has one finals loss to Rafael Nadal in 2009 and eight semi-finals appearances.

This year’s edition of the tournament was postponed three weeks due to a coronavirus pandemic. The opening matches are now set for February 8th, while the finals should take place on February 20th for the women’s singles and February 21st for the men’s singles.

The post Roger Federer Won’t Play at 2021 Australian Open appeared first on yoursportspot.com.