Tennis

11:00 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — From warming up with your opponent before a match to the mandatory all-white Wimbledon outfits and strawberries and cream at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, tennis purists are proud of the sport’s rich history of tradition, and have always grappled with the idea of having it altered too

1:14 AM ET ESPN News Services Daniil Medvedev finally worked out how to a win a five-setter. All by himself. The fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev was 0-6 in five-setters, and his match against No. 28-seeded Filip Krajinovic looked like it was going all the way in the third round of the Australian Open. After some angry

10:38 PM ET Jake Michaels Close ESPN Associate Editor Jake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who covers everything from Aussie Rules to Formula One, basketball to boxing. He joined ESPN in June, 2013 and works as an Associate Editor, covering sport in Australia and around the world. Matt Walsh Close Assistant Editor Matt Walsh

12:40 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com The scene at John Cain Arena was electric until the final moments Friday night. As the clock counted down on fans’ final seconds of freedom before a mandatory minimum five-day lockdown, as well as on Nick Kyrgios‘ run in the 2021 Australian Open, those in attendance only grew louder with

9:00 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — If Friday night turns out to be the last we see of fans at the Australian Open in 2021, Nick Kyrgios and world No. 3 Dominic Thiem didn’t disappoint, treating the vocal John Cain Arena crowd to a memorable evening of Grand Slam tennis, one which featured multiple code

4:46 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Nick Kyrgios says he’s starting to feel like an old soul. Ahead of his Friday night (AEDT) third-round showdown with US Open champion Dominic Thiem, he’s used the term “veteran” despite being just 25 years of age, and even admitted to craving a glass of red wine following his

8:35 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Sofia Kenin, looking to defend her Australian Open singles title, was in tears after losing in straight sets to Kaia Kanepi in the second round on Thursday. “I feel like everyone was always asking me, ‘Would you want to [defend the title]?” she said about the overwhelming pressure she had

8:16 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — A bizarre post-match on-court dispute involving Italian pair Fabio Fognini and Salvatore Caruso has marred a gripping five-setter at the Australian Open. Fognini twice rallied from a set down to wrap up the match on John Cain Arena 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(12) in three hours and 56 minutes,

9:38 PM ET ESPN News Services MELBOURNE, Australia — No. 1-ranked Ashleigh Barty carries the hopes of her homeland at the Australian Open, which may be why she stumbled before closing out a second-round win Thursday. Barty blew a big lead in the second set and survived a shaky tiebreaker to beat fellow Aussie Daria

5:58 PM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — A little over 12 months ago, Novak Djokovic had been crowned Australian Open champion for the eighth time, American upstart Sofia Kenin secured a maiden Slam win, millions of dollars had been raised for Australia’s bushfire relief fund and the tennis season was just getting underway. And then the

5:16 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com When asked earlier this week about her legendary journey in professional tennis that has spanned over 25 years, Venus Williams took a moment and reflected on what was most important to her. “I’m trying to get better every day,” she said Monday after her first-round victory at the Australian Open.

2:00 AM ET Novak Djokovic‘s path to another Australian Open title won’t necessarily be an easy one for the No. 1 seed. Through to third round after his straight-sets victory against American Frances Tiafoe on Wednesday, Djokovic’s quarter of the draw includes 2020 US Open finalist Alexander Zverev and former Australian Open semifinalist Milos Raonic,

7:00 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com There was only a smattering of fans in the crowd at Rod Laver Arena on Monday for Naomi Osaka‘s first-round victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the Australian Open. The 15,000-seat stadium sat largely empty with those in attendance generously spaced throughout. Any other year the vacant chairs would be disappointing,

6:50 AM ET A ball girl was sent home to recuperate after collapsing on court during the second day of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Tuesday. The incident occurred during the first-round tie between South African Lloyd Harris and Denmark’s Mikael Torpegaard on Court 16. Play was interrupted while staff helped the girl off

2:00 AM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — If Rafael Nadal has a bad back, he didn’t show any signs of it in his 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 win over Laslo Djere on Tuesday in the first round at the Australian Open. The No. 2-ranked Nadal is aiming to go one better than Roger Federer and

1:23 PM ET It’s bizarre to think the world No. 1 player entering the year’s first Grand Slam hadn’t played a competitive match in almost 11 months before last week, but these are strange times. While many others were following a considerably pared-down WTA tour around the world last year, Ashleigh Barty made a decision

7:00 AM ET Jake Michaels Close ESPN Associate Editor Jake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who covers everything from Aussie Rules to Formula One, basketball to boxing. He joined ESPN in June, 2013 and works as an Associate Editor, covering sport in Australia and around the world. Matt Walsh Close Assistant Editor Matt Walsh

8:46 PM ET ESPN News Services Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka are off to fast starts at the Australian Open. After losing the opening game, Williams won 10 games in a row and beat Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-1 on the first day of the tournament Monday. The victory marked the start of Williams’ latest bid