Tag: Grand Slam

  • Alcaraz beats Djokovic to claim first Wimbledon title in five-set final

    Alcaraz beats Djokovic to claim first Wimbledon title in five-set final

    In a thrilling five-set men’s final on Sunday, World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz defeated reigning champion Novak Djokovic to claim his first Wimbledon title.

    After nearly five hours on Centre Court, the Spaniard emerged victorious with a score of 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4. Alcaraz tumbled to the court in celebration and volleyed a tennis ball into the crowd.

    At just 20 years old, Alcaraz becomes the third-youngest Wimbledon champion in the Open Era and adds a second major title to his record, having won the US Open last year. Despite facing the formidable challenge of an in-form Djokovic, widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players in history, Alcaraz fought back from a set down.

    As Djokovic’s attempted return failed to clear the net, a new Wimbledon champion was crowned, solidifying Alcaraz’s position as a leader among the sport’s next generation.

    In his on-court interview afterward, Alcaraz expressed his elation, stating, “Well, it’s a dream come true for me. For me, it’s incredible. As I said, it’s a dream come true to be able to play on this stage. It’s amazing for a 20-year-old boy. I didn’t expect to reach these kinds of situations so quickly.”

    Alcaraz also expressed pride in himself and his team for the hard work they put in every day, leading up to this momentous experience.

  • Djokovic makes history with 378th week as World No 1

    Djokovic makes history with 378th week as World No 1

    On Monday, Novak Djokovic surpassed Steffi Graf’s all-time record for the most weeks as the world No 1 tennis player with a total of 378 weeks. Djokovic returned to the top spot five weeks ago after winning the Australian Open and tying Rafael Nadal’s all-time men’s record of 22 majors. This was his first time back at No 1 since June 2020.

    Djokovic expressed his pride in being among legendary names, saying “It’s surreal to be that many weeks No 1… I’m proud of it.” The top 5 players with the most weeks as the world No 1 are Djokovic (378), Graf (377), Martina Navratilova (332), Serena Williams (319), and Roger Federer (310).

    Djokovic first reached the No 1 ranking at 24 years old on July 4, 2011, after winning his third grand slam and first at the All England Club by beating Nadal in the Wimbledon final. Since then, Nadal has spent only 107 weeks at No 1 out of a total of 209, compared to Djokovic’s 378. Federer, who holds the record for most consecutive weeks at No 1 with 237 from 2004-08, has been No 1 for only 25 weeks since Djokovic first debuted in the top spot.

    Djokovic’s first test after setting this record is the Dubai Championships, where he will face qualifier Tomáš Macháč in the round of 32.

  • Rafael Nadal fails to hold his tears as Roger Federer bids emotional farewell to tennis

    Rafael Nadal fails to hold his tears as Roger Federer bids emotional farewell to tennis

    Nadal, who has won a men’s record 22 Grand Slam singles titles, said it was a difficult night for him emotionally as the defeat to the American pair of Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe marked the end of the 41-year-old Federer’s dazzling career.

    Nadal said that a part of him was also leaving the men’s Tour with the retirement of the Swiss.

    “For me, has been huge honour to be a part of this amazing moment of the history of our sport, and at the same time a lot of years sharing a lot of things together,” the Spaniard said of Federer.

    “When Roger leaves the tour, yeah, an important part of my life is leaving too because all the moments he has been next or in front me in important moments of my life. So has been emotional (to) see the family, see all the people. Yeah, difficult to describe. But, yeah, amazing moment.”

    Federer and Nadal engaged in one of the most intense rivalry in sports, playing each other 40 times while Federer won 20 major singles titles.

    They have remained pals off the court despite their fierceness on it. The Swiss’ decision to dance with Nadal for the last time on his side of the net was maybe the most appropriate.

    Federer and Nadal, collectively known as “Fedal,” walked onto the court to raucous applause. Both were emotional after entertaining the sold-out audience during the game.

    “I think every year the personal relationship gets better and better, on a daily basis,” Nadal, 36, told reporters. “I think in some way we understand at the end we have a lot of things similar. We approach the life probably similar.

    “On court we have completely opposite styles, and that’s what probably makes our matches and our rivalry probably one of the biggest and most interesting.

    “Very proud to be part of his career in some way. But even happier to finish our career like friends after everything we shared on court like rivals.”

  • All-time sporting great Serena Williams to retire from tennis after US Open

    All-time sporting great Serena Williams to retire from tennis after US Open

    The 23-time Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams, stated on Tuesday morning that she will conclude her illustrious tennis career after competing in the US Open starting later this month.

    In her post-match press conference at the Canadian Open, Serena Williams broke the bombshell that she would be retiring, saying she could ‘see the light at the end of the tunnel’.

    At the hard-court competition in Toronto on Monday, the 40-year-old defeated Nuria Parrizas Diaz 6-3 6-4 to win her first singles match in 430 days.

    The grand slam champion was questioned in her news conference following the winning streak-ending victory about what inspires her to continue competing well into her forties.

    Serena acknowledged that her impending retirement is currently her only source of inspiration.

    The shocking admission was the clearest indication yet that Serena will be putting up her racquet soon. Some of the fans were already convinced that she would be retiring in front of her home audience at the US Open later this month.

    Her statements on Monday threw tennis enthusiasts and experts into a frenzy.

  • Ons Jabeur becomes first Arab woman to reach Grand Slam final

    Ons Jabeur becomes first Arab woman to reach Grand Slam final

    Ons Jabeur defeated close friend Tatjana Maria in the Wimbledon semifinals on Thursday, making history as the first Arab woman to compete in a Grand Slam singles final.

    After winning 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, Tunisia’s world number two, 27, will play either Simona Halep or Elena Rybakina in the title match on Saturday.

    Jabeur, the first Arab player to reach a Slam semifinal, said, “I’m a proud Tunisian woman standing here.”

    Irene Bowder Peacock from South Africa and Renee Schuurman from Australia in 1959 were the only African women to have advanced to a Slam singles final before Thursday.

    “It’s a dream come true from years of work and sacrifice. I’m happy that’s paid off and I’ll continue for one more match,” said Jabeur.

    “Physically, Tatjana is a beast, she doesn’t give up, I thought she would give up — her touch, her serve and everything on the court is impressive. I hope she’s continues this way. Let’s not play again I’m good for now.

    “I know in Tunisia they are going crazy right now. I want to see more Arab and African players on the tour. I love the game and I want to share the experience with them.”

    With breaks in the third and seventh games, Jabeur easily defeated mother-of-two Maria in the first set. In the opening set, the Tunisian had 15 winners to her opponent’s six, and she did not encounter a single break point.

    On the strength of a sequence of deft slices, Maria, who Jabeur referred to as her “barbecue buddy,” did manage to ultimately breakthrough for 3-1 in the second set.

    The more precise German levelled the match with six unforced errors to Jabeur’s 17 in the second set.

    However, there would be no unexpected victory when the 103rd-ranked Maria’s challenge was rejected. Jabeur earned a double break for a 5-0 lead before saving a second match point to go down in history.

  • Djokovic says he’s not anti-vax ‘but will sacrifice trophies if told to get jab’

    Djokovic says he’s not anti-vax ‘but will sacrifice trophies if told to get jab’

    Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic has said he was not against vaccination but would skip Grand Slam tournaments if he was forced to take the jab against Covid-19.

    Read More – Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic owns biotech firm developing Covid drug

    Djokovic, who is unvaccinated and according to Reuters, was deported from Australia after an 11-day rollercoaster experience involving two visa cancellations, two court challenges and five nights in two stints at an immigration detention hotel where asylum seekers are held.

    “Yes, that is the price that I’m willing to pay,” the 34-year-old Serbian told the BBC, adding that he was aware that he would not be able to travel to most tournaments in the world currently because of his unvaccinated status.

    The 20-times major champion is set to return to competitive action at an ATP tournament in Dubai next week for the first time since he was deported ahead of the Australian Open, this year’s first tennis Grand Slam.

    Another win at Melbourne Park, where Djokovic has won nine titles, could have taken him to a men’s record 21 major titles, but instead it was his long-time rival Rafa Nadal who stepped ahead by lifting the trophy last month.

    Read More – ‘Proud to share this era’: Roger Federer congratulates Rafael Nadal on winning 21st grand slam title

    Djokovic said he was ready to sacrifice his shot at the milestone over the “freedom of choice” but he was keeping an open mind about taking the jab in the future.

    “I was never against vaccination,” he said, adding that he took vaccines as a child. “But I’ve always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body.

    “I understand that globally, everyone is trying to put a big effort into handling this virus and seeing, hopefully, an end soon to this virus.”

  • ‘Proud to share this era’: Roger Federer congratulates Rafael Nadal on winning 21st grand slam title

    ‘Proud to share this era’: Roger Federer congratulates Rafael Nadal on winning 21st grand slam title

    Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer has congratulated Spain’s Rafael Nadal on winning his 21st grand slam singles title after beating Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in a nail-biting Australian Open final.

    Taking to Instagram stories, Federer shared a picture of Nadal celebrating his victory and wrote: “To my friend and great rival @RafaelNadal. Heartfelt congratulations on becoming the first man to win 21 Grand Slam Singles Titles.”

    The Swiss star revealed that he and Nadal were joking about both being on crutches. “Never underestimate a great champion.”

    “Your incredible work ethic, dedication and fighting spirit are an inspiration to me and countless others around the globe. I am proud to share this era with you,” he added.

    Federer further said that he is honoured to play a role in pushing Nadal to achieve more. He ended by saying, “I am sure you have more achievements ahead but for now enjoy this one.”

    Nadal fought back from two sets down to win the next three sets in order to win a nail-biting match.

    In the dramatic final set, Nadal broke Medvedev’s serve in the fifth game but the Russian broke back in the 10th game to level the set.

    Nadal, however, broke back immediately to clinch victory and become the first ever man in the history of tennis to win 21 grand slam titles.

    The Spaniard surpassed the previous men’s record of 20 he held jointly with Federer and Serbian player Novak Djokovic.

  • Ash Barty beats Danielle Collins to end 44-year wait for home Australian Open Champion

    Ash Barty beats Danielle Collins to end 44-year wait for home Australian Open Champion

    Ashleigh Barty beat Danielle Collins to win the Australian Open title, ending the home nation’s 44-year wait for a Grand Slam women’s singles champion.

    Ace player Barty fought back from 5-1 down in the second set to win 6-3 7-6 (7-2) on a jubilant Rod Laver Arena.

    The 25-year-old Queenslander has won the title without dropping a set in Melbourne this fortnight.

    After winning the 2019 French Open and last year’s Wimbledon title, she now claims three of the four majors.

    The Australian star player thanked all the staff as the ballkids stand on ceremony.

    “It’s been one of my favourite experiences,” said Ashleigh, adding, “this is just a dream come true. I’m so proud to be an Aussie.”

  • Russia’s Medvedev wins maiden Grand Slam, beats Djokovic in US Open final

    Russia’s Medvedev wins maiden Grand Slam, beats Djokovic in US Open final

    Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev has won his maiden Grand Slam, beating Djokovic with straight three sets (6-4 6-4 6-4) at the US Open final.

    Novak Djokovic’s bid for a record 21st major title that would have completed the calendar-year Grand Slam collapsed at the final hurdle as Medvedev, playing in his third major final, at last hoisted a Grand Slam trophy while avenging a straight sets defeat by Djokovic earlier this year in the Australian Open final.

    The Serb was trying to become the first man in over a half-century to win all four majors (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open) in the same year.

    Such was Medvedev’s domination that the only tiny bit of drama came late when the Serb was suddenly hit by a bout of nerves.

    The New York crowd had never really embraced Djokovic the way it wrapped its arms around Swiss Roger Federer and Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who have also won 20 Grand Slam titles.

    It had also shown no real love for Medvedev. But no amount of urging could lift Djokovic’s game.

    While an extraordinary women’s final on Saturday between teenagers Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez had softened the spotlight’s glare in which the British player clinched her maiden win for the country after 44 years. The women’s final was the first Grand Slam to feature two unseeded players.

  • UK’s Emma Raducanu wins US Open in historic final

    UK’s Emma Raducanu wins US Open in historic final

    United Kingdom’s (UK) Emma Raducanu’s extraordinary run at the US Open finished in glorious fashion in New York as the 18-year-old became Britain’s first female singles Grand Slam champion after 44 years.

    According to details, Raducanu, the first qualifier ever to reach a Grand Slam final, once again rose to the occasion, beating the 19-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 with a remarkable display of big hitting and composure. Just three months after making her debut on the main women’s tour, Raducanu became the youngest Grand Slam singles champion since 17-year-old Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004.

    She is also the first woman ever to win the title in only her second Grand Slam tournament.

    Raducanu had made her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon, where she became the youngest British woman in the open era to reach the fourth round. As the world No 150, she is the lowest ranked player ever to win the US Open, though Kim Clijsters did not even have a world ranking when she won the title in 2009, having just returned to competition after having a baby. Raducanu will now climb to No 24 in next week’s updated world rankings list.

    Having come through qualifying, she lifted the title by winning nine matches in the space of 17 days and without dropping a set in any of them.