10:04 PM ET NEW YORK — The rubber soles of his shoes squealed like the brakes of a subway car grinding to a halt as Novak Djokovic sprinted, hit, slid and violently changed direction on the hard court in Louis Armstrong Stadium. His grunts were magnified by the echo in the cavernous, nearly empty arena.
Tennis
11:03 AM ET It has been quite an unusual year of tennis. The US Open, usually the final Grand Slam of the season, is just the second after the coronavirus pandemic canceled Wimbledon and postponed the French Open until September. Gone this year in New York are the fans, the defending women’s and men’s champions,
Aug 29, 2020 In this, the strangest sporting year, the 2020 US Open begins on Monday as the second Grand Slam event of the tennis season. As the coronavirus pandemic stopped sports throughout the world, Wimbledon was canceled and the French Open was moved to later in September. Many top stars elected to forgo participation
3:35 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic tied Rafael Nadal‘s record by winning his 35th title at a Masters 1000 tournament, overcoming a sluggish start to beat Milos Raonic 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Western & Southern Open final Saturday and remain unbeaten this season. Getting tuned up ahead of the US
5:36 PM ET Former US Open champion Andy Murray, well-known for his support for gender equality in various aspects of the game, said Saturday at the National Tennis Center that he would not be signing on to support a rebel ATP faction led by top-ranked Novak Djokovic and journeyman Vasek Pospisil. “I’m not totally against
9:52 AM ET NEW YORK — Naomi Osaka, who battled through to the Western and Southern Open women’s singles final while navigating an intense degree of attention because of her social activism, has withdrawn from Saturday’s championship match, citing a hamstring injury suffered in her semifinal. Osaka was scheduled to play resurgent former No. 1
4:54 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — After two days of little sleep and unexpected stress, Naomi Osaka was up to the moment. The two-time Grand Slam champion returned to the court after bringing the push for racial justice to the forefront on the tennis tour, and she advanced to the finals of the
9:09 AM ET Professional tennis is back on one of its biggest stages after a long hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Get ready for a 2020 US Open unlike any other. There will be no spectators after more than 700,000 attended last year. Also missing? Several top players, including both 2019 champs: Rafael Nadal
9:03 AM ET Serena Williams‘ drive to earn Grand Slam singles title No. 24, thereby equaling the all-time record held by Margaret Court, will begin next week at the fan-free US Open. The tournament will be unlike any major that she, or any other tennis pro, has ever experienced. This radical and unexpected development caused
7:33 PM ET NEW YORK — The men’s singles draw for the US Open just doesn’t look right — not with the names of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal missing, not with Andy Murray buried like just another ATP schmo down on line No. 115, his name in regular typeface as opposed to the bold