12:34 PM ET AAP / ESPN Ashleigh Barty and Matthew Ebden both won their singles matches against France to give Australia a winning start to their Hopman Cup campaign. Barty opened proceedings in the evening at RAC Arena in Perth with a straight sets win over Alize Cornet. Ashleigh Barty celebrates after her win over
Tennis
7:30 AM ET It took them a while to realise but Greece’s Hopman Cup title hopes are hanging by a thread. World No.15 Stefanos Tsitsipas and world No.41 Maria Sakkari were expected to ease past unheralded Great Britain duo Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter at RAC Arena on Saturday. Stefanos Tsitsipas in action at the
6:38 AM ET Extreme heat is likely to remain a source of discontent at the Australian Open despite tournament organisers introducing changes aimed at improving conditions for players. Officials have scrapped the use of wet bulb globe temperature readings for the season-opening grand slam, starting on January 14. Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils at the
8:14 AM ET Tennis Australia’s decision to go with the 10-point tiebreaker at the Australian Open starting in 2019 is innovative, but it exacerbates an already spectacular lack of consistency among the Grand Slam tournaments. It also makes a scoring system that is already baffling even more confusing for casual fans. The 10-point version —
3:01 AM ET Andy Murray is still feeling the effects of a hip injury that forced a premature end to his 2018 activity, but the Briton hopes the pain will ease as he plays more matches in the lead-up to next month’s Australian Open. The former world No.1 returned to the ATP tour in June
1:25 PM ET Associated Press ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Serena Williams has welcomed the extra protection given to new mothers when they return to the women’s tennis tour. Serena Williams, who returned to tennis after a health scare following childbirth, was voted The Associated Press’ top female athlete, finishing ahead of gymnast Simone
9:56 AM ET Associated Press ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Rafael Nadal is confident he can be fit for the Australian Open as he chases an 18th Grand Slam title. A right knee injury forced Nadal to retire from his US Open semifinal in early September — his last competitive match — and the
1:44 PM ET Associated Press She showed up in Paris wearing a black catsuit, a reminder that nobody can command the Grand Slam stage quite like Serena Williams. She reached the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, proving again how well she can play no matter how little she practices. Williams didn’t win those
9:11 AM ET The epic Wimbledon semifinal between Kevin Anderson and John Isner was a highlight of 2018 in tennis as well as a poignant reminder that the journey to tennis stardom is sometimes longer and more complicated than expected. The parallels between the men and their experience is striking, almost as if the towering
6:21 AM ET Deciding-set tiebreaks will be introduced for the first time at the Australian Open next month. In a move that follows Wimbledon and the US Open, Australian Open organisers have opted for a first-to-10 points tiebreak with a two-point advantage at 6-6 in the final set in the men’s and women’s draw. A