5:23 AM ET Australian Open boss Craig Tiley has reached out to players to reassure them of a February 8 tournament start date despite a COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne as well as accommodation and transport issues. International players are due to start arriving from January 15 but Open organisers are still locking in charter flights.
Tennis
11:24 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com The WTA announced its latest schedule for the 2021 season through July on Tuesday. The revised calendar includes the French Open and Wimbledon in their traditional spots, with start dates of May 23 and June 28, respectively. The WTA had previously shared its calendar for the first seven weeks of
8:35 AM ET Sofia Kenin has never defended a Grand Slam title before, but the reigning Australian Open champion said on Tuesday that she will seek advice from world No. 1 Novak Djokovic if she feels the pressure is too much to handle. Kenin won her maiden Grand Slam in Melbourne last year which set
11:16 PM ET Associated Press SYDNEY — ATP Cup champion Novak Djokovic and runner-up Rafael Nadal are set to return for the season-opening men’s team tennis event starting Feb. 1, but the United States will be missing because of a change in format that has halved the field. The inaugural event last year featured 24
10:11 PM ET Apartment owners on the premises of a luxury Melbourne hotel are threatening legal action against plans by Australian Open organisers to use the hotel to quarantine players ahead of the Grand Slam, local media reported on Monday. The apartment owners at the Westin Melbourne said they had concerns for their health and
12:34 AM ET Multiple Contributors Even though 2020 saw a lot of marquee events being scrapped or postponed, 2021 is not short of big sporting events. ESPN’s staff tell us what they are looking forward to the most in 2021: The return of the I-League The 2019-20 I-League was suspended just as things were starting
10:17 AM ET Associated Press Andy Murray has pulled out of the Delray Beach Open to minimize his coronavirus risk as he looks ahead to the Australian Open. The 33-year-old Murray said he was concerned about “the increase in COVID rates and the transatlantic flights involved” with traveling to the Florida tournament that begins Monday.
3:29 PM ET Associated Press LONDON — American tennis player Sam Querrey was handed a suspended $20,000 fine by the ATP tour on Wednesday for breaching coronavirus protocols at the St. Petersburg Open in October. Querrey left Russia on a private plane after testing positive for COVID-19, despite having been placed in isolation by local
7:53 AM ET Women’s world No. 1 Ash Barty will partner U.S. Open semifinalist Jennifer Brady in doubles at the 2021 Australian Open in a high-profile pairing between top singles players, organisers announced on Wednesday. Australian Barty played with now-retired German Julia Goerges in this year’s tournament in Melbourne, where they lost in the second
11:33 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com The 2021 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, often referred to as tennis’ “fifth major,” has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. Originally scheduled for March 8-21, the tournament in California will now be held at an undetermined date later this year. “The tournament is proactively working with the ATP