[ad_1] MELBOURNE, Australia -- When Novak Djokovic is done with tennis, they will probably erect a statue of him at Melbourne Park, the place where things began for him in 2008 and where he has enjoyed most success.The Serb kick-started his Grand Slam career by winning title No. 1 in 2008, has won six more since and come the end of the week, it would be a surprise if he
[ad_1] MELBOURNE, Australia -- If respect has to be earned, then Nick Kyrgios has earned it.From Rafael Nadal, whom he pushed almost to the limit in a brilliant fourth-round battle at the Australian Open on Monday; from the Australian public, whom he thrilled and took on a crazy journey from start to finish; and from his peers, who have seen the Australian mature in the space of just over a
[ad_1] MELBOURNE, Australia -- After hitting a forehand winner to take a 5-2 lead in the fifth set on Monday, Stan Wawrinka ran up to the net and repeatedly tapped his fingers to the side of his temple as if to say he was in his opponent's head, or simply, that he had the mental edge.Either way, he was right.Wawrinka won a fourth-set tiebreaker to set up a decider against
[ad_1] SAN DIEGO (AP) — Marc Leishman realized he had at two-shot lead as he stood over a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole at Torrey Pines. He also knew Jon Rahm was the only one who could catch him. That made his final birdie all the more important. It turned out to be the winner Sunday in the Farmers Insurance Open, much to Rahm’s surprise. Leishman shot 31
[ad_1] MELBOURNE, Australia -- For a brief moment Sunday, it looked as if Sofia Kenin would be the latest to fall victim to rising superstar Coco Gauff at the Australian Open.After trading games and points for nearly an hour in the first set, Gauff took the early edge after winning the tiebreak when Kenin, the No. 14 seed, hit into the net. The 15-year-old screamed "Come on!" and clenched her
[ad_1] MELBOURNE, Australia -- It made sense to Sofia Kenin that Coco Gauff would be the one getting all of the attention and generating all of the buzz.That's only natural when Gauff is 15 and making tennis history time and time again."Yeah, I mean, the hype is for her. She's obviously done great stuff, of course. It's absolutely normal. Just (tried) not to let that get in my head," Kenin
[ad_1] MELBOURNE, Australia -- A first-round mixed doubles match between the No. 1 seeded pair of Marcelo Melo and Barbora Strycova and American Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jamie Murray was delayed by more than 10 minutes when the teams became embroiled in a heated argument Sunday afternoon at the Australian Open.During a point in the second game on 1573 Arena, Mattek-Sands raised her hand to challenge a call, only for play
[ad_1] ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe put it best late in the first set of the round of 16 match between 15-year-old Coco Gauff and Australian Open No. 14 seed Sofia Kenin. After a compelling rally filled with crisp shot selection by both players, he observed: "Both of these women have high tennis skills and high tennis IQs."Unlike fellow Floridian Gauff, Kenin, 21, has largely flown under the radar despite a
[ad_1] As rivalries go, Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios' brief history hasn't approached the gravitas of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova (they met a grand total of 80 times), or the antagonistic gusto with which Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe battled against one other. Unlike the epic competitions between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, who clashed in five major finals, none of the Nadal-Kyrgios throwdowns played out on misted Grand
[ad_1] MELBOURNE, Australia -- It's been 42 years since a homegrown player won an Australian Open singles title. Christine O'Neil was the last to achieve the feat way back in 1978, long before Grand Slam fields expanded to 128 players.Since then, there have been many who have carried the expectations of a nation with a celebrated tennis past, but all of have fallen short of landing the ultimate prize. Lleyton
