In a year in which Roger Federer won the ATP fan favourite award by playing a dozen or so matches and two teenage women came from the clouds to play the US Open final,the transitional nature of tennis revealed itself.
World No.1 Novak Djokovic has committed to the ATP Cup in Sydney,a tournament that requires players to submit to the same vaccination rules as the Australian Open.
Australian Open boss Craig Tiley expects vaccination rates among tennis professionals to climb to at least 95 per cent by January.
Tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have joined the chorus of concern for the wellbeing the former doubles world number one.
Roger Federer will miss the Australian Open in January and is unlikely to return to competition until mid-2022 as he recovers from multiple knee surgeries,the former world No.1 told Swiss media.
Last year’s US Open champion Dominic Thiem has confirmed he has been vaccinated for COVID-19 and is targeting January’s Australian Open as a key part of his return.
Tennis chiefs resisted a looming vaccine mandate for the Australian Open,fearing it could deter vaccine-hesitant champion Novak Djokovic in his pursuit of a record-breaking 21st grand slam title.
It was US Open champion Daniil Medvedev’s perfectly-timed graciousness,amid intense disappointment for Novak Djokovic,that shone through on the New York stage.
We struggle with the idea that when it comes to judging GOATs,we would like there to be a character test. We want the Pele glamour,the Jesse Owens dignity,the Michael Jordan dazzle.
Which fate awaits Novak Djokovic at the US Open? With history and a calendar grand slam on the line,will he seal his greatness,or fall agonisingly short?
Spaniard Rafa Nadal said on Friday that he will end his 2021 season early due to a left foot issue that has been troubling him for a year,ruling him out of this month’s US Open.