Tennis | DD News

January 14, 2026 2:40 PM

Sebastian Ofner’s premature celebration costs him Australian Open spot in epic collapse

Sebastian Ofner may never forget the rules of the sport again after his premature victory celebration turned into a nightmare collapse against Nishesh Basavareddy in the Australian Open qualifiers on Wednesday. Austrian Ofner looked destined for the next round when he surged to a commanding 6-1 lead in the deciding set tiebreak against 20-year-old American Basavareddy. But after winning another point to move 7-1 ahead, Ofner began celebrating and walked confidently toward the net - apparently ...

January 13, 2026 6:46 PM

Record seeker Novak Djokovic faces ‘New Two’ roadblock at Australian Open

Novak Djokovic returns to Melbourne Park looking to roll back the apparently inexorable tide of the "Sincaraz" era and produce an Australian Open triumph that would establish him as the most successful Grand Slam champion of all time. The Serbian clinched his 24th major title at the U.S. Open in late 2023, but Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have since dominated the Grand Slams with a brand of fast-paced tennis that has blown their rivals off the court. Djokovic, who will be 39 in May, is not...

January 13, 2026 5:43 PM

Carlos Alcaraz eyes Australian Open crown to complete career Slam

World number one Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Melbourne with only one mission in mind - claim a first Australian Open title to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam. The 22-year-old already owns titles at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and victory at Melbourne Park would see him eclipse Don Budge, who wrapped up the career Slam two days before his 23rd birthday by winning the 1938 French Open. "I would rather win my first Australian Open than retain my French Open...

January 13, 2026 5:23 PM

Dark horses or also-rans? Australian Open short on genuine contenders

The Australian Open may crown Jannik Sinner champion for a third straight year or hand Carlos Alcaraz a career Grand Slam, but lurking in the shadows are a handful of players grappling with harsh truths about their title chances at Melbourne Park. Novak Djokovic's quest for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title appears a long shot, with the Serb still searching for one more major title that would establish him as the most successful Grand Slam champion of all time. At 38, Djokovic is i...

December 21, 2025 11:10 AM

WTL: India’s Dhakshineswar Suresh takes Aussie Mavericks Kites to maiden title

India’s Dhakshineswar Suresh helped his team take the World Tennis League 2025 (WTL) title at the SM Krishna Stadium on Saturday as Aussie Mavericks Kites rode the momentum swings to beat the AOS Eagles 22-19 to clinch their first WTL title. At the end of Day 2, the Aussie Mavericks Kites were languishing at the bottom of the table. But the dynamic tournament format, where every game matters, saw them climb up the ladder and into the finals. On Saturday, in front of a capacity crowd that incl...

November 17, 2025 9:27 AM

Sinner wins Alcaraz battle to retain ATP Finals title

Italy's Jannik Sinner retained his ATP Finals title on Sunday, sending the Turin crowd wild as he battled past Spanish world number one and rival Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(4) 7-5 in the decider to the season-ending championships. Sinner, backed by a raucous Italian crowd, fell to the floor after breaking his rival's serve in the final game before racing to celebrate with his team as chants of 'Ole, Ole, Ole, Sinner, Sinner' rang around the Inalpi Arena. "Finishing in front of the Italian public was a...

November 16, 2025 5:05 PM

Alcaraz keen to break Australian Open duck

Carlos Alcaraz would rather win his first Australian Open than retain his French Open and U.S. Open titles next year, the Spaniard said late on Friday, a day after sealing the year-end world number one ranking at the ATP Finals. The 22-year-old, speaking on Spanish midnight sports radio show El Partidazo de Cope, said lifting the trophy at Melbourne Park has become a priority, with quarter-finals in 2024 and 2025 his deepest runs at the season's first major. "In 2026 I'd rather win Australia a...

November 16, 2025 3:40 PM

Top players and ATP want overhaul of Davis Cup

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are among the world's top players calling for the Davis Cup to return to its traditional home-and-away format and be staged over two years, a proposal backed by ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi. The old format of home-and-away ties played over a few days every year was scrapped by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in 2019, and this year's Final 8 in Bologna begins two days after Sunday's ATP Finals decider in Turin. Sinner, who is into the ATP Finals last f...

November 16, 2025 3:26 PM

Alcaraz and Sinner set up inevitable ATP Finals decider

World number one Carlos Alcaraz eased to a 6-2 6-4 win over Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime at the ATP Finals on Saturday to set up a highly-anticipated title decider with defending champion Jannik Sinner. The Italian second seed defeated Alex de Minaur 7-5 6-2 in the other semi-final. Alcaraz overcame Auger-Aliassime's spirited resistance by breaking twice in the opening set and nerves appeared to hit the Canadian when serving at 5-4 down in the second as four unforced errors gifted the Spania...

November 10, 2025 9:39 AM

Alcaraz and Zverev off to winning starts at ATP Finals

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz began his bid for a first ATP Finals trophy with a 7-6(5) 6-2 win over Alex de Minaur and two-times champion Alexander Zverev over powered Ben Shelton in their round-robin openers at the season-ending championships on Sunday. Alcaraz won his opening ATP Finals match for the first time despite De Minaur's battling display where the Australian recovered from 4-1 down, and 0-40 on his own serve, to force a tiebreak in the opening set before the Spaniard came out on top. Th...