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    Australian Open: John Newcombe, Jimmy Connors and the 1975 Final

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    It was Newcombe’s home tournament, and for him, the No. 1-ranked Connors was the draw. Then the Australian won.John Newcombe never planned to play the 1975 Australian Open.At 30 years old, Newcombe was nearing retirement. He had played his home country’s major tournament almost every year since 1960, winning the championship in 1973 and reaching three other semifinals. He had also won Wimbledon three times and the U.S. Championships twice, as well as 16 Grand Slam doubles titles (he would add one more in 1976).This year’s Australian Open, which begins on Sunday in Melbourne, marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most important matches of Newcombe’s career.Newcombe was at home in Sydney when, in mid-December 1974, less than two weeks before the start of the ’75 Australian Open, he was informed by Tennis Australia, the tournament’s governing body, that Jimmy Connors, the defending champion, had entered the draw.Connors, 22 years old at the time and ranked No. 1 in the world, and Newcombe had been waging war with each other, on and off the court, since their first encounter in the quarterfinals of the 1973 U.S. Open. Newcombe won that match en route to the title.In his career, Newcombe won seven Grand Slam singles titles, including Wimbledon in 1970.GettyNewcombe was ranked No. 1 in 1970 and ’71, when rankings were determined by a group of journalists before the ATP established an official ranking system in 1973. He was also No. 1 briefly in 1974. Connors took over the top spot in ’74 when he won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. He missed out on a chance for the Grand Slam — winning all four majors in a calendar year — that season when he was barred by the International Tennis Federation from playing the French Open because he had committed to playing World Team Tennis in the United States.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Australian Open: Alex de Minaur’s Love for the Major

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      He played a memorable match there as a 17-year-old, when he came from behind and won.For all the milestone moments Alex de Minaur has had over his nearly 10-year pro tennis career, including nine ATP singles titles, there is one victory that stands out.It was the opening round of the 2017 Australian Open in de Minaur’s first main draw at his first major championship in his home country, when the then-17-year-old saved a match point in the fourth set before beating Gerald Melzer in five sets and almost four hours.In the opening round of the 2017 Australian Open, de Minaur, who was then just 17, beat his opponent in five sets and almost four hours. “It’s one of those moments that I had grown up dreaming about,” de Minaur recalled in an interview.Getty“I remember everything about that match,” said de Minaur during a phone interview shortly after he arrived in Sydney, Australia, his hometown, late last month to start his 2025 season playing for Australia in the United Cup. “Making my debut on show court three in front of a packed crowd. It was so hot, but there were so many people supporting me from the very first point to the last. It’s one of those moments that I had grown up dreaming about. To be able to win that last point and the whole release of emotions, of tension, fatigue that had built up through the whole match was a pretty surreal experience.”De Minaur, now 25, has become Australia’s great hope. Last season, in addition to notching wins over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, he beat Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas, winning titles in Acapulco, Mexico, and the Dutch city of ’s-Hertogenbosch, and reaching a career-high No. 6 in July.But he also suffered excruciating losses, most notably to Rublev in the round of 16 at the Australian Open, the tournament de Minaur said he coveted most.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      DP World Tour Championship: Five Players to Watch

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      The tournament will also determine the winner of the Race to Dubai.The DP World Tour Championship, which starts on Thursday at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in the United Arab Emirates, isn’t lacking in familiar names. The contenders include the major champions Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Adam Scott and Shane Lowry.A winner will also be crowned in the season-long Race to Dubai. It will either be McIlroy, who enjoys a substantial lead, or Thriston Lawrence. Others pointed to receive the extra payout that goes to the top 10 in the final standings — first place will receive $2 million — include Billy Horschel, Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre.Here are five to keep an eye on:The Italian golfer Matteo Manassero, now 31, seems to have turned things around after a decade-long slump.Warren Little/Getty ImagesMatteo ManasseroManassero, 31, was supposed to be the next big thing in professional golf.Consider what he accomplished as a 16-year-old amateur in 2009:Youngest winner ever of the British Amateur.The low amateur in the British Open at Turnberry in Scotland, finishing just four strokes behind Stewart Cink and Tom Watson.The No. 1-ranked amateur in the world.Bottom line: The future for the star from Northern Italy was limitless.Correction: Definitely limitless.He turned pro in 2010 and picked up his first tour victory that October, followed by one triumph apiece in 2011, 2012 and 2013. But after that, he didn’t win on the DP World Tour for the next 11 years.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      In Tennis, Alexander Zverev’s Many Trials

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      He has not won a Grand Slam, but has taken an Olympic gold. He’s ranked No. 2, but has been fined over his temper on the court. He also has settled domestic abuse charges.Mischa Zverev knows his little brother better than anyone.A decade older than Alexander, who is also known as Sascha, Mischa has served as part-sibling, part-parent throughout Alexander’s life and tennis career.When Sascha was 6, Mischa took him along while he was playing satellite tournaments in Australia, hitting with him after his matches and letting him ride on his shoulders on the way home from the beach. Now the little brother is ranked No. 2 in the world, reached the French and U.S. Open finals, won an Olympic gold medal and is about to play in his seventh ATP Finals. He also won his seventh ATP Masters 1000 event last week at the Rolex Paris Masters.He has had his off-court travails over the last several years, including now-settled charges of domestic abuse and an on-court outburst during a loss in 2022, for which he was fined and placed on probation by the ATP.“I do know what I did, I do know what I didn’t do,” he said this spring before the charges were settled. “That’s, at the end of the day, what’s going to come out, and I have to trust in that.”Zverev, 27, won the ATP Finals in 2018 with back-to-back wins over Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, and then again in 2021 when he beat Daniil Medvedev in the final. The indoor tournament, which begins on Sunday in Turin, Italy, suits his style.“There’s no wind, no sun, nothing to distract me too much,” Zverev said in September. “I like having to play at 100 percent from the first match on. And it helps to have past success at a tournament. That’s something you can keep in the back of your mind.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      WTA Finals: The High-Energy Jasmine Paolini Has Broken Through

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      The player from Italy reached the finals this year at the French Open and Wimbledon. Now she has qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time.Jasmine Paolini was laughing, something she does loudly and often.Paolini had just explained that the WTA Finals she most vividly remembered watching on television was one featuring Dominika Cibulkova, who captured the title in 2016. She didn’t know why she picked that one over victories by more well-known winners like Serena Williams and Ashleigh Barty.“It was unbelievable,” Paolini, of Italy, said of Cibulkova’s win over top-seeded Angelique Kerber by phone from Shanghai in late September. Then she let out a guffaw so alluring that others often can’t help joining in.Paolini uses the words “unbelievable” and “crazy” a lot, but mostly to describe her own journey this year. At 28, she has qualified for her first WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She and her compatriot Sara Errani have also qualified in doubles, making Paolini the only competitor in both singles and doubles.“It’s a very elite club,” Paolini said. “It’s really our reward for the season, so it is great to qualify.”Paolini began the year ranked No. 29. Four years ago, she was a little-known sprite barely ranked in the top 100. But a WTA 1000 title in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in February followed by surprise runner-up finishes to Iga Swiatek at the French Open and to Barbora Krejcikova at Wimbledon thrust her into the spotlight. Now she’s ranked No. 4.During her matches, Paolini is known to shout “Forza,” which translates to “Let’s go” in English.Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      In Tennis, Grigor Dimitrov Has a Renaissance

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      The tennis player turned pro in 2008 and is now back in the top 10 as he prepares for the Rolex Paris Masters.Grigor Dimitrov had just lost a grueling, two-plus-hour, three-set match to Jakub Mensik in Shanghai three weeks ago. Most vanquished players head straight to the locker room and get out of the arena quickly.But Dimitrov is no ordinary guy. One of the most well-liked and respected competitors on the ATP Tour, Dimitrov understands his role as a leader in tennis. So, here was, on the phone, answering questions, earnestly and honestly, into the later hours of the evening.At 33, Dimitrov is experiencing a renaissance at a time when many of his contemporaries are contemplating retirement. Once called Baby Fed because his stunning one-handed backhand resembled that of Roger Federer, Dimitrov ranked a career-high No. 3 in 2017. Barely in the top 30 at the start of 2023, he is now No. 9. Runner-up to Novak Djokovic at last year’s Paris Masters, Dimitrov stands just off the pace in the race to qualify for this year’s ATP Finals.The following conversation has been edited and condensed.Some players have trouble staying motivated by the end of the season. Do you?When you’ve competed so many years, you really don’t think about it that much. Whether it’s going to be my last tournament or it’s going to help me get to the Finals, it’s stressful for every player, but everyone carries it differently. I always know that it’s good to finish the year on a good note.What’s the key for you to play well indoors?I like the way the surface plays out. It’s softer on the legs. It’s basically like playing on wood, and I grew up [in Bulgaria] playing on wood so I can relate to it very nicely, and it brings back good memories.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Laver Cup: A Busy Taylor Fritz Embraces Team Competition

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      “It’s amazing I’m going to get to go play just a really fun event that I enjoy with all of my friends,” he said.After playing at home and hearing the roars as he reached his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open, Taylor Fritz is back on the road after a trans-Atlantic journey.The tennis world moves on very quickly.“I mean it’s one week off and then right after it again,” said Michael Russell, one of Fritz’s coaches. “There’s just not a lot of time off.”The risk of a letdown is real, but this is a road trip to Berlin that Fritz has been looking forward to. He fell hard for the Laver Cup when he made his debut in 2019, and the team event, dreamed up by Roger Federer and his agent, Tony Godsick, remains one of Fritz’s favorite events, even in an overstuffed Olympic season like 2024.“Being so mentally locked in for these two weeks, it would be really tough to go play an individual tournament that’s not going to have the same, like, just energy,” Fritz said at the U.S. Open earlier this month. “So it’s amazing I’m going to get to go play a really fun event that I enjoy with all of my friends. Because it’s pretty impossible for me to not be fired up playing a match when I have all these guys on the bench kind of going crazy for me.”The Laver Cup, running Friday through Sunday, is an annual men’s competition between six-player all-star teams, inspired by golf’s Ryder Cup. In that tournament, it is Europe against the United States. In the Laver Cup, it is Team Europe against Team World. It is not the most natural rivalry. Who instinctively roots for “the world minus Europe?”Fritz, center, and Tiafoe, left, and their fellow players on Team World celebrating a victory over Team Europe during the Laver Cup in September 2022 in London.Julian Finney/Getty Images for Laver CupWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      BMW PGA Championship: Tommy Fleetwood Still Seeking American Success

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      Heading into the BMW PGA Championship in his home country, the English golfer talked about the Olympics and playing in the United States.The season might be over on the PGA Tour, but there are still some important events in Europe, beginning with this week’s BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England.Among those participating will be England’s Tommy Fleetwood, 33, who won the silver medal at the Summer Olympics in Paris and finished 20th in the Tour Championship in Atlanta earlier this month. Yet for all his accomplishments, Fleetwood, ranked No. 12 in the world with seven career wins on the DP World Tour, is still searching for his first victory in the United States.Fleetwood, who finished in sixth place last year at Wentworth, spoke recently about the Olympics and his quest to finally break through in the United States.The conversation has been condensed and edited.Were you satisfied with this season on the PGA Tour?I feel good about a lot of things about the year. Whenever you make it to the Tour Championship, it’s always a success. Having said that, I wish I had contended in more tournaments.What do you need to do to go to the next level?Honestly, it’s all been very, very close. It’s easy when you get to this point to think “OK, I’m going to look for a magic answer or rebuild things.” I think I can continue to do the majority of the same things and build on the consistency I’ve had and tweak a couple of small areas.“Having an Olympic medal that you’ll pass down to generations will never not be special,” Fleetwood said.Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      After Beating Carlos Alcaraz, Botic van de Zandschulp Keeps His ‘Lucky Charms’ Close

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      Botic van de Zandschulp’s career has had its ups and downs. But a pair of Manhattan financiers he knew as a boy in the Netherlands have become part of his “team.”Botic van de Zandschulp, a Dutch tennis player, scored one of the biggest upsets of the United States Open when he stunned the four-time grand slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the second round on Thursday. Coming from a player ranked No. 74 in the world, it may have seemed shocking, but Mr. van de Zandschulp has enjoyed the greatest successes of his career at the Open.In 2021 he went from qualifying all the way to the quarterfinal stage, and then he turned the men’s singles draw upside down this week.Watching from the player’s box were Mr. van de Zandschulp’s two secret weapons in New York: the Pham brothers, a pair of American former players who speak Dutch and help their childhood pal from a Dutch youth tennis program to feel at home. And they are cheering him on again Saturday, as Mr. van de Zandschulp plays the 25th-seeded Jack Draper of Britain in the third round.But Richard and Victor Pham, both Manhattan financiers, had not been in contact with their boyhood friend for 15 years until they reunited during his first trip to the United States in 2021, when Mr. van de Zandschulp made his electrifying run to the quarterfinals. It started a tradition the three men carry on today.“Every time I’m coming here, I have dinner with them and they come to all my matches,” Mr. van Der Zandschulp said on Friday. “And every time it is working out pretty well.”The Phams met first Mr. van de Zandschulp, now 28, when they were boys in the Netherlands. The Pham brothers, born in Denmark to Vietnamese immigrants, began playing tennis, and played it well. Richard, now 29, hit alongside Mr. van de Zandschulp at one of the Dutch tennis federation’s training facilities when he was about 8, and eventually they were joined by his Victor, who is three years younger.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More