More stories

  • in

    The Quiet Confidence of Naomi Osaka

    MELBOURNE, Australia — As the reigning Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka opened her season earlier this month, she checked herself as she expressed her goals for the rest of the year. “I think just to try as hard as I can every match,” Osaka said. “Because for me, when I feel like I do that, […] More

  • in

    Coco Gauff Vaults From Obscurity to Stardom, but Result Is the Same

    MELBOURNE, Australia — Coco Gauff was a qualifier and Grand Slam rookie when she played Venus Williams for the first time. That was at Wimbledon in July, and Gauff’s first-round, 6-4, 6-4 victory over the five-time Wimbledon champion sent shock waves through the All England Club and beyond, far beyond. Much has changed in six […] More

  • in

    As Australian Open Begins, Pollution From Fires Is in Play

    MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian Open, site of epic jet lag and searing heat, has long been a struggle against the elements as much as a tussle against the opponent across the net. Scheduled in the Australian summer, the Open is where the former champion Ivan Lendl donned a Legionnaire’s cap to combat the sun […] More

  • in

    Does the Australian Open Come Too Early?

    In the 1970s, many top players did not even bother showing up for the Australian Open. The country was too remote, the prize money too low, the facilities erratic as the event moved from city to city, and it was held over the Christmas holidays. The tournament moved to mid-January in 1987 and found its […] More

  • in

    Rising Tennis Stars for the New Decade

    In 2010, the three best players on the ATP Tour were Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. A decade later, they retain the top three rankings. Still, eventually new names will rise to the top. Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev combined for dozens of singles titles in recent years and […] More

  • in

    Australian Open 2020: What to Expect

    MELBOURNE, Australia — In the shadow of the country’s bushfire crisis, the best tennis players in the world have traveled to Australia for the first Grand Slam event of the decade. There will, however, be some notable absences when the Australian Open begins on Monday. Bianca Andreescu, the 19-year-old Canadian who won the United States […] More

  • in

    A Grieving Young Tennis Star Finds Solace on the Court

    BRADENTON, Fla. — With her tennis career taking flight at age 17, Amanda Anisimova was abruptly grounded: out of last year’s United States Open as she grieved. Her father, Konstantin Anisimov, was just 52 when he died of a heart attack on Aug. 19, one week before the start of the year’s final Grand Slam […] More