Rafael Nadal: Back from the brink and out on his own after Australian Open win January 30, 2022 Rafael Nadal has built a record-breaking tennis career on resilience and, at two sets down in the Australian Open final against a man 10 years his junior, the sport’s answer to the Duracell bunny proved that he still simply cannot be outlasted. US Open champion Danniil Medvedev started the final as the favourite and was [...]
World number one Ashleigh Barty wins Australian Open women’s singles title after beating Danielle Collins January 29, 2022 World number one Ashleigh Barty has won the Australian Open women’s singles title by beating Danielle Collins 6-3 7-6 (2). Barty’s serve is the foundation of her game, and she had been broken just once in six matches, but that became twice in the second game of the second set as the top seed again [...]
Padel: The racket sport proving a smash but heading for the courts January 28, 2022 It’s loved by footballers, boasts celebrity investors and is among the fastest growing sports in the world, yet you may not even have heard of padel. The fast and furious hybrid of tennis and squash has long been hugely popular in Latin countries but recently participation has rocketed elsewhere, including the UK. Now it is [...]
Cinch and Cazoo zoom into top tier of sports sponsors January 27, 2022 Online car marketplaces Cinch and Cazoo, takeaway service Just Eat and social media platform Tik Tok were the biggest entrants to sports sponsorship in the UK last year, according to a new report. The four brands were the only new entrants in consultancy Onside’s Top 10 Most Appealing UK Sports Sponsors, which is published today. [...]
Tsitsipas marches into Australian Open semi-finals January 26, 2022 Men’s fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas swept into the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Wednesday morning with a straight-sets victory over Jannik Sinner. In the women’s draw, former French Open champion Iga Swiatek will face 27th seed Danielle Collins in the last four after they won their quarter-finals. Tsitsipas, who was runner-up at the French [...]
Brits eye another Grand Slam doubles run at Australian Open January 25, 2022 British singles interest at the Australian Open fizzled out last week when Dan Evans fell in the third round of the men’s competition. But hope is not lost at this year’s tournament as the recent trend of British Grand Slam doubles success remains on course to be extended into 2022. Brits have made up or [...]
Navratilova blasts Australian Open for ‘pathetic’ Peng Shuai stance January 24, 2022 Martina Navratilova has criticised Australian Open officials after they removed “Where is Peng Shuai?” T-shirts and banners at the tournament. The retired 18-time Grand Slam winner called the act “pathetic” amid continued concern for the welfare of Chinese tennis player Peng. “That’s just pathetic,” Navratilova wrote on social media. “The WTA [Women’s Tennis Association] stands [...]
Djokovic: Tennis star’s visa fallout assessed by lawyer January 21, 2022 Many commentators have said the whole Novak Djokovic situation could have and should have been dealt with before he ever arrived in Australia. The fact it did not owes much to the disconnect between the organisers of the tournament, the government, Djokovic’s advisors and the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Clearly there is now time and [...]
Sports must protect its precious human capital like Djokovic and Hamilton January 20, 2022 Picture Novak Djokovic. Do you see a villain sticking two fingers up at vaccine orthodoxy, or a heroic advocate for personal freedoms you’d risk a pepper-spraying for? What of Lewis Hamilton and his rainbow helmet and sloganed T-shirts? Gesture politician or vital diversity campaigner? And what say you as one football team takes the knee [...]
Murray and Raducanu rise to occasion and silence doubters at Australian Open January 18, 2022 Three years on from what was meant to be the curtain call for his career, Andy Murray is still winning matches at the Australian Open. Today in Melbourne, Murray beat 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 in the kind of belligerent five-set grind that has long been his calling card. With [...]