Tag: US Open

  • Serena Williams bids an emotional goodbye to 27-year career after US Open loss

    Serena Williams bids an emotional goodbye to 27-year career after US Open loss

    Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia has made history by defeating Serena Williams at the US Open for the last time after the 23-time major winner acknowledged her career to be concluded.

    Serena and the boisterous audience couldn’t stop Tomljanovic, who prevailed 7-5, 6-7,6-1.

    After suffering through two sets that couldn’t separate the two, the final began when Tomljanovic broke Serena early and rode that momentum to a 5-1 lead. Ajla Tomljanovic ran into a classic Serena Williams, though, who utilised all of her determination to avoid losing while serving for the match.

    The American, who benefited from the crowd’s support in the previous round when she pulled off an unlikely victory, managed to save five match points during Tomljanovic’s lengthy service game that lasted more than 14 minutes before she was finally defeated.

    Even during the on-court interview, Serena only made passing references to this being her final tournament.

    At the US Open, fifth-seeded Tunisian Ons Jabeur defeated hometown favourite Shelby Rogers 4-6 6-4 6-3 to go to the fourth round of the competition for the first time.

    The Wimbledon finalist got off to a slow start, missing breakpoint opportunities before finding her groove in the second set. In the decisive match, the Tunisian quickly built a 4-0 lead before the American battled back, only to make crucial mistakes once more to give Jabeur the victory.

    Additionally moving on to the following round were Caroline Garcia, Alison Riske, Coco Gauff, Karolna Plková, and Danielle Collins.

    The sound system bellowed Tina Turner’s hit single “Simply The Best” as she waved goodbye and made her signature spin.

    Williams responded when asked if she would think about coming out after her performances this week: “I’m literally playing my way into this and getting better. I should have started sooner this year. I don’t think so, but you never know.”

    When interviewed in the middle of the court, Williams was filled with emotion and thanked her family, team, the spectators, and her supporters all over the world for their continued support.

    Here are some Twitter reactions following Serena Williams’ last US Open defeat:

  • Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic to miss US Open

    Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic to miss US Open

    Tennis player Novak Djokovic said that he will not be able to attend the US Open in New York City due to his unwillingness to take the COVID-19 vaccination.

    The twenty-one time Grand Slam champion Djokovic stated on Thursday that he will remain in “good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again.”

    The final Grand Slam will begin next week.

    “Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support,” Djokovic wrote on Twitter.

    Although the US has relaxed COVID-19 regulations on a domestic level, visitors who are not US citizens or permanent residents must still be completely vaccinated before boarding a flight into the nation. In June, the United States eliminated testing requirements for overseas travellers.

    Djokovic competed at the US Open last year, reaching the men’s singles final. The virus was deemed a bigger public health danger at the time, although the US simply required testing rather than vaccination for entrance at the time.

    Djokovic sparked outrage earlier this year when his visa was revoked shortly after arriving in Melbourne to participate in the Australian Open. He already clarified that he will not take the COVID-19 vaccination, even if it meant missing out on some matches.

  • 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.

  • Medvedev slams his way to the top, replaces Djokovic as world number one

    Medvedev slams his way to the top, replaces Djokovic as world number one

    Daniil Medvedev replaced Novak Djokovic as world number one on Monday. Djokovic held the top spot in men’s tennis for a record 361 total weeks. In January, Rafael Nadal beat Medvedev in a nail-biting Australian Open final.

    US Open champion Medvedev is the third Russian man after Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin, and 27th player overall, to rise to the top of the ATP rankings.

    “Of course I am happy to reach number one. It was my goal since I was young and especially my goal in the latest times,” said Medvedev.

    The 26-year-old Russian was guaranteed to move above Djokovic after the Serb’s quarter-final loss in Dubai. 

    Rafael Nadal rose one place to fourth after claiming his third title of the season and 91st of his career.

  • 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.

  • Naomi Osaka might take another break after shocking defeat at US Open

    Naomi Osaka might take another break after shocking defeat at US Open

    “I honestly don’t know when I am going to play my next tennis match,” announced defending US Champion Naomi Osaka at her news conference after a shocking loss to 18-year-old Leylah Fernandez from Canada. Osaka broke down during the news conference after making this announcement.

    “I think I am gonna take a break from playing for a while,” added Osaka.

    “I feel like for me, recently, like when I win, I don’t feel happy. I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad,” Osaka said earlier in the post-match news conference. “I don’t think that’s normal.”

    Just a few months ago, Osaka withdrew from the French Open after revealing she has struggled with her mental health since first becoming a Grand Slam champion in 2018. Osaka announced her withdrawal from Roland Garros a day after she was fined $15,000 by the French Open and warned that she could face expulsion from the tournament, following her decision not to speak with the press during the tournament.

    The 23-year-old World Number 3 also missed Wimbledon before returning to tennis at the Tokyo Olympics, where she lit the flame at the opening ceremony.

  • VIDEO: Three-time champion Novak Djokovic defaults out of US Open after hitting line judge with ball

    VIDEO: Three-time champion Novak Djokovic defaults out of US Open after hitting line judge with ball

    Novak Djokovic’s charge to his 18th Grand Slam title ended on Sunday after the Serbian defaulted following his petulant swipe at the ball that hit a line judge in the throat that resulted in the world number one’s disqualification from the US Open.

    The dramatic moment came when the overwhelming title favourite reacted angrily to going 5-6 down to Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the first set of their fourth-round encounter at an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium.

    What would have been an innocuous incident had the ball flown a foot either side of the official instead left her lying on the ground, clutching her throat and screaming in pain.

    There was no question that Djokovic hit her inadvertently, and he quickly rushed to apologise, but it was a clear breach of Grand Slam rules forbidding the physical abuse of anyone within the tournament precincts.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MF46cTBL8s

    Tournament referee Soeren Friemel came out and spoke to chair umpire Aurelie Tourte and Andreas Egli, the Grand Slam supervisor, before a long chat with the three-times US Open champion.

    Djokovic, who was clearly making the point that he had not intended to hit the official, was overheard saying “she doesn’t have to go to hospital for this” but after 12 minutes of pleading his case his fate was sealed.

    “I don’t think that there was any chance of any opportunity or any other decision than defaulting Novak,” Friemel later told reporters.

    “The facts were so clear and so obvious … (the line judge) was clearly hurt and Novak was angry, he hit the ball recklessly, angrily back.”

    A tournament spokesman told Reuters the line judge appeared to be okay and was “not brought off-site”. Her identity is not known. Djokovic eventually walked over to shake hands with a stunned Carreno Busta and trudged off the court before leaving the grounds without attending a press conference.

    The 33-year-old Serbian later posted an apology on Instagram.

    View this post on Instagram

    This whole situation has left me really sad and empty. I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. I‘m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong. I’m not disclosing her name to respect her privacy. As for the disqualification, I need to go back within and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being. I apologize to the @usopen tournament and everyone associated for my behavior. I’m very grateful to my team and family for being my rock support, and my fans for always being there with me. Thank you and I’m so sorry. Cela ova situacija me čini zaista tužnim i praznim. Proverio sam kako se oseća linijski sudija, i prema informacijama koje sam dobio, oseća se dobro, hvala Bogu. Njeno ime ne mogu da otkrijem zbog očuvanja njene privatnosti. Jako mi je žao što sam joj naneo takav stres. Nije bilo namerno. Bilo je pogrešno. Želim da ovo neprijatno iskustvo, diskvalifikaciju sa turnira, pretvorim u važnu životnu lekciju, kako bih nastavio da rastem i razvijam se kao čovek, ali i teniser. Izvinjavam se organizatorima US Opena. Veoma sam zahvalan svom timu i porodici što mi pružaju snažnu podršku, kao i mojim navijačima jer su uvek uz mene. Hvala vam i žao mi je. Bio je ovo težak dan za sve.

    A post shared by Novak Djokovic (@djokernole) on

    “This whole situation has left me really sad and empty,” he wrote. “I’m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong.

    “I apologise to the (US Open) and everyone associated for my behaviour.”