Women’s world number one Ash Barty has sent a statement to her rivals with a 6-0, 6-0 thrashing of Danka Kovinić in the first round of the Australian Open. In a remarkable start to Tuesday night’s match at Rod Laver Arena, Barty won the first 16 points to race through the first set against the world number 82 in just …

Former Aussie player Sam Groth has hit back at tennis stars claiming their two-week hotel quarantine period affected their opening round Australian Open performances. Frenchman Benoit Paire and former Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, who both lost their first round matches on Monday, each claimed hotel quarantine periods played a role in their exits, with their warm-ups for the event severely disrupted. …

Rafael Nadal has broken his silence on the Australian Open’s quarantine saga with a shot at Novak Djokovic’s “propaganda” tactics. Over a thousand tennis players and officials are now just days away from freedom, with a 200-strong group eagerly awaiting fresh air after being locked down in their hotel rooms. Their release will all but end a mess that continues …

Spanish tennis player Paula Badosa has described her time in hotel quarantine as the worst experience of her career, saying she felt “abandoned” by Australian Open organisers. Badosa, ranked 67th in the world, was the first player to test positive for coronavirus upon arriving in Australia ahead of the tournament and she has been in quarantine in Melbourne along with about 70 …

Spaniard Rafael Nadal has beaten world number one Novak Djokovic in the French Open final to claim his 20th Grand Slam men’s singles title. Nadal inflicted one of the most humiliating defeats on his great rival, blasting Djokovic in straight sets (6-0 6-2 7-5) to tie Roger Federer with 20 Slam titles. “I was fine. Everything was okay. I was …

Naomi Osaka has won the US Open title for a second time, beating Victoria Azarenka in the women’s singles final at Flushing Meadows. The Japanese fourth seed was swept aside by a dominant Azarenka in the first set, before hitting back to win the next two sets to take the match 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in one hour 53 minutes. The …

Grigor Dimitrov has tested positive for COVID-19, making him the highest-profile tennis player to reveal he has the disease. The 29-year-old Bulgarian had been competing in the Adria Tour exhibition tournament in Croatia until he withdrew with illness during the weekend. The final of the event, which would have featured world No.1 Novak Djokovic and Russian Andrey Rublev, was cancelled …

Matildas players, officials and fans alike have shared their joy after Australia and New Zealand won the rights to host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. There were exuberant scenes during the early hours of Friday morning as football fans and players across Australia and New Zealand learned they had secured the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. A small, socially …

As Jurgen Klopp tried to deliver his assessment of Liverpool’s shock Premier League defeat at Watford, he found himself having to speak louder than he probably would have liked. Despite the microphones and speakers set up in the press conference room within the bowels of Vicarage Road, the noise of celebrating Watford fans just outside was virtually drowning him out. This was …

If you were to come up with the concept now, the idea of two people standing toe-to-toe and belting each other in the head until both were senseless and one was flat on the floor would only ever be a metaphor for modern political debate. Yet in a world where we are so determined to eradicate brain trauma that young …