Tennis

10:01 PM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — The ATP Cup team event will kick off the slate of tuneup tournaments ahead of the Australian Open in January. Tennis Australia on Thursday said the Jan. 1-9 ATP Cup will be held in Sydney and will be followed by the new Sydney Tennis Classic, a combined

7:47 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com The 2021 tennis season is officially over, and what a year it was. From history-making quests to the emergence of what looks to be the next generation of superstars, this season was one to remember. Even with the absence of household names such as Venus and Serena Williams, Roger Federer

5:13 AM ET Wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett, who completed the doubles calendar slam this year said he has been cleared to continue his career after a change in International Tennis Federation (ITF) classification rules. Britain’s 18-time Grand Slam champion Hewett has Perthes disease, which affects hip movement. Under initial changes to the ITF’s regulations

2:38 AM ET Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai‘s video call with the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not address or alleviate the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) concern about her well-being, the WTA said on Monday. The whereabouts of Peng, a former doubles world No. 1, became a matter of international concern nearly

12:52 PM ET Associated Press LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai took part in a 30-minute video call from Beijing with IOC officials and told them she was safe and well, the Olympic body said Sunday. The call came amid growing global alarm over Peng. Her appearance at a youth tennis event Sunday

12:43 PM ET Associated Press TURIN, Italy — If Alexander Zverev‘s performance this weekend is any indication, a lot can be expected from the third-ranked German in 2022. Zverev beat the top two players in consecutive matches to earn his second title at the ATP Finals. After eliminating No. 1 Novak Djokovic over three sets

10:20 AM ET Associated Press TURIN, Italy — For the second time this year, Alexander Zverev has denied Novak Djokovic the chance to play for a big trophy. Following up his win over the top-ranked player in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics, Zverev beat Djokovic 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 at the same stage of

6:14 AM ET Associated Press BEIJING — An employee of Chinese state TV has posted photos of missing tennis star Peng Shuai online in a new effort to dispel concern about her disappearance after she accused a senior leader of sexual assault. The photos appeared Friday on Twitter, which cannot be seen by most internet

10:20 AM ET Associated Press TURIN, Italy — U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev is one win away from another big trophy. The second-ranked Russian beat first-time qualifier Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday to advance to the championship match at the ATP Finals. Medvedev, who won the season-ending event for the top eight players last

6:06 AM ET Associated Press BEIJING — China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday stuck to its line that it wasn’t aware of the controversy surrounding tennis professional Peng Shuai, who disappeared after accusing a former top official of sexually assaulting her. Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters that the matter was “not a diplomatic question and

11:40 PM ET Associated Press The ball is back in Novak Djokovic‘s court. Australian Open chief Craig Tiley confirmed on Saturday that everyone who attends the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of 2022 will need to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, including all the players. That continues to leave the status of defending and nine-time

12:49 PM ET Associated Press LONDON — Russian tennis player Teymuraz Gabashvili has accepted a 20-month ban after failing a doping test, the International Tennis Federation said Friday. Gabashvili tested positive at a Challenger-level tournament in Kazakhstan in June for the diuretic furosemide, which has legitimate medical uses but is banned in sports because it

11:29 AM ET Associated Press TURIN, Italy — A year ago, Casper Ruud had just cracked the top 30 in the rankings. Look at him now. The eighth and final qualifier for the ATP Finals, the 22-year-old Norwegian has joined top-ranked Novak Djokovic, No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the semifinals

10:02 AM ET Associated Press TURIN, Italy — The top three players have advanced to the semifinals at the ATP Finals. Third-ranked Alexander Zverev joined No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the last four at the season-ending event for the top eight players by beating Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday.

11:43 AM ET Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Wimbledon champion Ash Barty finished No. 1 in the WTA singles rankings for the third consecutive season, while Katerina Siniakova topped the doubles rankings for the second time. Barty, a 25-year-old from Australia, joins Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert as the only

10:36 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Earlier this month, tennis player Peng Shuai accused Zhang Gaoli, a former high-ranking Chinese government official, of sexual assault. Peng wrote, in a lengthy social media post, that Zhang had forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals. The post was removed within 20 minutes from her verified account on

11:04 PM ET Associated Press GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Garbine Muguruza said earlier in the week that playing in Mexico was like playing at home. After winning the WTA Finals title on Wednesday, it certainly looked that way. The 28-year-old Spaniard beat Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 7-5 to win WTA Finals title for the first time in

3:02 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Serena Williams is still haunted by her experience at Indian Wells in 2001 and the mental anguish that she says she endured when returning to the event in 2015 after a lengthy boycott. “Even when I went back 14 years later, it was very traumatizing,” Williams said in an interview