"It was the most exciting match I have ever played," the Serbian said of the match against Rafael Nadal. ...
09:40 AM, Feb 09, 2012
Melbourne: Novak Djokovic dispensed with the band and the raucous dressing room celebrations. After the longest final ever in a Grand Slam, it was only fitting that he put on a solo act and then pulled the curtains on another Australian Open. He chose the AC/DC rock anthem 'Highway To Hell,' belting out a few lyrics and strumming the air guitar. After a couple of hours of sleep, Djokovic arrived...
01:34 PM, Jan 30, 2012
Melbourne: The status quo has been maintained at the top of the men's rankings after Novak Djokovic's dramatic win over Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open, unlike the situation on the women's tour. Official rankings to be released on Monday show Djokovic maintaining the No. 1 spot on the ATP Tour after winning his third Major in a row. Djokovic's 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 victory in 5 hours,...
10:26 AM, Jan 30, 2012
Melbourne: A turning point of the longest men's final ever at a Grand Slam came when 10-time Major winner Rafael Nadal went for a bit too much on a backhand after more than 5 hours on court. Novak Djokovic outlasted Nadal over 5 hours, 53 minutes to win a third Australian Open title, finishing off the 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 win at 1:37am on Monday. It evoked memories...
10:07 AM, Jan 30, 2012
Melbourne: Novak Djokovic said Rafa Nadal had pushed him to the brink of exhaustion as his weary legs held him upright just long enough to see off the Spaniard in the longest Grand Slam final on record. The Serb finally prevailed 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5 in five hours and 53 minutes to win the Australian Open for the third time. "I overcame everything, and that's the most important thing...
10:00 AM, Jan 30, 2012
Melbourne: A second title eluded Leander Paes at this year's Australian Open as he and Elena Vesnina ended runners-up in the mixed doubles event after being outplayed by Horia Tecau and Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the summit clash in Melbourne on Sunday. The fifth-seeded Indo-Russian pair lost 3-6, 7-5, 3-10 to the eighth-seeded Romanian-American combination in one hour and 48 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena. Paes and Vesnina hit 14...
01:37 PM, Jan 29, 2012
Melbourne: India's veteran tennis ace Leander Paes created history by becoming the first Indian to complete a career Grand Slam of winning all the four Major titles by winning the Australian Open men's doubles event in Melbourne on Saturday. Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek thrashed world No.1 pair Mike and Bob Bryan from the US in straight sets in the final at the Rod Laver Arena. The Indo-Czech...
06:12 PM, Jan 28, 2012
Melbourne: Like Andy Murray before him, Rafael Nadal isn't convinced Novak Djokovic has any breathing problems going into their Australian Open final on Sunday night. During Djokovic's five-set semi-final win over Murray on Friday night, and to a lesser extent during his quarter-final victory over David Ferrer, the Serbian player showed signs of breathing difficulties, something he's put down to allergies. On Saturday, Nadal told a pre-final news conference that...
04:04 PM, Jan 28, 2012
Melbourne: Victoria Azarenka had produced one of the most lopsided Australian Open final victories to capture a Grand Slam title and the No. 1 ranking for the first time. She started celebrating on Rod Laver Arena, then suddenly did a double-take to ask her coach, "What happened?" The answer: She routed three-time Grand Slam winner and 2008 Australian champion Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 in 1 hour, 22 minutes on Saturday...
03:50 PM, Jan 28, 2012
Melbourne: Victoria Azarenka is fed up with the hubbub surrounding her serial grunting but admits the noise from her Australian Open final against Maria Sharapova will carry far and wide. The 22-year-old Belarusian has reached her first Grand Slam final on the back of a bruising baseline game coupled with a more mature mental approach that tamed her combustible temper. While Azarenka, who would become world number one with a...
02:23 AM, Jan 28, 2012
Melbourne: Having waited for years to shake up the tennis establishment, Novak Djokovic clung jealously to his throne as he marshalled his forces to put down an attempted coup by Andy Murray at the Australian Open on Friday. The Serbian's 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5 semi-final win at the Rod Laver Arena ensured at least another few months of Grand Slam exile for the fourth-seeded Briton Murray, but also showed...
02:15 AM, Jan 28, 2012
Melbourne: World number four Andy Murray is convinced he is a better tennis player than last year and on an upward curve despite losing an epic five-set Australian Open semi-final to world number one Novak Djokovic in the early hours of Saturday. The 24-year-old Murray had been seeking a place in his third successive final at Melbourne Park, but failed to close out his opportunities against the Serbian, who won...
02:04 AM, Jan 28, 2012
Melbourne: After 25 Grand Slam tournaments, Victoria Azarenka is through to her first final. Maria Sharapova, her opponent in Saturday's Australian Open title decider, has been there five times before, and won three. That's all history from Azarenka's perspective. "It's no concern for me. I mean, I worked hard to be in this situation, so why stress about it?" Azarenka said on Friday of the match that has a Grand...
01:30 AM, Jan 28, 2012
Melbourne: Novak Djokovic overcame his breathing problems and a "physical crisis" to beat Andy Murray in an almost five-hour Australian Open semi-final on Friday night and move into his third straight Grand Slam final. Standing between Djokovic and a record shared by some of the greatest players of all time will be No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal, a man he beat in six tournament finals in 2011. Despite appearing tired and...
07:22 PM, Jan 27, 2012
Melbourne: Leander Paes is in line to win two Grand Slam titles as he and Elena Vesnina reached the mixed doubles summit clash even as Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi bowed out after their semi-final defeat at the Australian Open on Friday. Fifth seeds Paes and Vesnina came from behind to tame a fighting Italian pair of Roberta Vinci and Daniele Bracciali 5-7, 6-2, 10-7 in the semi-finals. Paes has...
03:34 PM, Jan 27, 2012
Melbourne: Petra Kvitova was naturally disappointed to fall short against the more experienced Maria Sharapova in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Coming after her breakthrough 2011, however, the 21-year-old Czech was able to put the loss in perspective. "Yes, of course I'm disappointed right now," Kvitova said on Thursday. "If I look back, I don't know, in a week, for example, it will be a good tournament for me,...
03:19 AM, Jan 27, 2012
Melbourne: Sania Mirza yanks her thumb down to touch the underside of her forearm. "See?" she giggles. "I'm double-jointed." The 25-year-old Indian, whose tennis world ranking once rose as high as 27th in singles, has endured a torrid time with injuries that left her unable to hold cutlery properly let alone a racquet. The Mumbai native, who married former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik and is now based out of...
10:37 PM, Jan 26, 2012
Melbourne: Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer to reach the Australian Open final on Thursday, extending his command in the personal duel between two of the best tennis players of all time. Only the trophy and the tears were missing from this latest Grand Slam installment of Rafa vs Roger. Nadal and Federer were on opposite sides of the net on Thursday, meeting in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. And...
06:05 PM, Jan 26, 2012
Melbourne: Sania Mirza had a productive day at the Australian Open on Monday as the Indian ace reached the quarter-finals of both the women's doubles and the mixed doubles events with Elena Vesnina and Mahesh Bhupathi respectively. Sania and Bhupathi, the 2009 mixed doubles champions, came from behind to beat Czech Iveta Benesova and Austria's Jurgen Melzer 3-6, 6-4, 12-10 in the second-round match. The sixth-seeded Indian team took one...
02:01 PM, Jan 23, 2012
Melbourne: Kei Nishikori keeps accumulating the tennis milestones for Japanese men, always remaining conscious of but not concerned about the expectations being heaped upon him. Nishikori notched another mark on Monday when he became the first Japanese man to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open since the Open Era began in 1968, with an exhausting 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory over former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France. "I...
12:27 PM, Jan 23, 2012
