Petra Kvitova capped her remarkable comeback from a career-threatening hand injury by winning the Aegon Classic. The Czech, playing in only her second tournament since she was stabbed by an intruder at her home in December, beat 21-year-old Australian Ashleigh Barty 4-6 6-3 6-3 in Birmingham. Kvitova, 27, returned to action at the French Open … Read more
Japanese world number nine Kei Nishikori was forced to retire injured in the second round at Halle on Thursday but insisted he was hopeful of being fit for Wimbledon which starts on July 3. Nishikori, seeded third in the grass court tournament, was trailing 3-2 to Russia’s Karen Khachanov when he felt a pain in … Read more
Jordan Thompson savoured the best moment of his life as the Australian underdog handed world number one Andy Murray a humiliating first round defeat at Queen’s Club. Thompson had never won a Tour-level grass-court match before and the world number 90 wasn’t even in the tournament when he woke up on Tuesday morning. But 24 … Read more
Spain’s Rafael Nadal made history by winning a record 10th French Open title with victory over Stan Wawrinka in the Paris final. Nadal, 31, came through 6-2 6-3 6-1 against the Swiss third seed to claim his 15th major title. He becomes the first man or woman in the Open era to have won a … Read more
Injury-plagued Kevin Anderson is hoping the hamstring strain which forced him to quit the French Open is just a “hiccup” which won’t impact his Wimbledon build-up. The 31-year-old South African was 6-3, 3-0 down to seventh seed Marin Cilic in his Roland Garros fourth round match Monday when he retired. The hamstring injury is the … Read more
Andre Agassi revealed on Friday he is happy to work unpaid as Novak Djokovic’s coach and said he would be open to extending his relationship with the Serb at Wimbledon next month. Eight-time Grand Slam champion Agassi teamed up with Djokovic ahead of the French Open, where the Serb is attempting to defend his title. … Read more
Tennis great Margaret Court on Friday claimed a gay conspiracy from America was behind calls to strip her name from one of the Australian Open stadiums, after a furore over her views on homosexuality. The Australian also hit back at America’s Martina Navratilova, who lashed out at the 74-year-old church pastor’s “sick and dangerous” comments … Read more
Tennis great Martina Navratilova slammed “sick and dangerous” comments by Australia’s Margaret Court that the sport was “full of lesbians” and transgender child were the result of a Nazi-style plot. Navratilova said Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena should be renamed after another Australian great, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, after Court’s comments caused a furore in the tennis … Read more
Ghana striker Kwesi Appiah has joined English League One side AFC Wimbledon on a permanent deal. The striker had a successful loan spell with the club in 2014, scoring three goals in seven matches and Manager Neal Ardley has bolstered his attacking options for next season by bringing the Ghana international back to the club … Read more
Black Stars striker Kwesi Appiah has clinched a permanent deal with English League One side AFC Wimbledon. Appiah moves to Wimbledon from Crystal Palace, where he has endured mixed fortunes since 2012. Until the end of the 2016/2017 season, Appiah played for Norwegian side Viking FK on loan. He has had other loan spells with … Read more
Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur became the first Arab woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam on Wednesday when she defeated sixth seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-4, 6-3 at the French Open. Jabeur, ranked 114 and who only earned her place in the Roland Garros main draw as a ‘lucky loser’ after being … Read more
Serena Williams may be missing from this year’s French Open, but big sister Venus is still going strong and marks her Roland Garros 20th anniversary on Sunday. Three weeks shy of her 37th birthday, the American star, who made her debut in the French capital in 1997, kicks off her latest campaign against China’s Wang … Read more
Former world number one Maria Sharapova has signed a deal with the Lawn Tennis Association to play at Birmingham’s Aegon Classic for the next two years. The five-time Grand Slam winner, 30, has been given a wildcard for the event in June having fallen down the world rankings after a 15-month drugs ban. The LTA … Read more
Maria Sharapova has been granted a wildcard for next month’s WTA grasscourt event in Birmingham, a key Wimbledon warm-up, organisers said Thursday. It comes two days after the Russian former world number one was refused a wildcard for the French Open following her 15-month ban for doping. Next month will see 2004 Wimbledon champion Sharapova, … Read more
The Premier League has long remained a hotbed for the best African players to ply their trade and showcase their abilities, with Ghanaian stars amongst those who have made a real name for themselves in England. A number of Kwesi Appiah’s current squad are playing in what is considered one of the major leagues in … Read more
Maria Sharapova won on her return to action after a 15-month doping ban as she beat Roberta Vinci in the first round of the Stuttgart Open. The Russian, who was suspended last March after testing positive for meldonium, beat the Italian 7-5 6-3. There was no noticeable bad reception for the 30-year-old, who responded well … Read more
From the shadow of Chernobyl’s nuclear wasteland to international super-stardom and from penniless arrival in the United States, without a word of English, to a fortune of $200 million. It may sound like the stuff of Hollywood dreams, but the story of Maria Sharapova is a testament to the power of one individual to make … Read more
Serena Williams has spent her career defying the odds, winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles and becoming the oldest world number one at age 35. But now she will face perhaps the ultimate challenge — making a comeback after motherhood. Williams, who announced her engagement to Reddit social media site co-founder Alexis Ohanian last December, … Read more
World number two Serena Williams is pregnant and due in the autumn, her representative has confirmed. The 35-year-old earlier posted a picture of herself on Snapchat posing in a mirror with the message: “20 weeks” before deleting the post. The American, who won an Open-era record 23rd Grand Slam in Australia in January, will miss … Read more
As a grimacing Kimiko Date rips another forehand past a male hitting partner less than half her age, all that’s missing is a cheesy Rocky-style backing track. At the ripe of old age of 46, the former world number four and part-time baker insists she’s not burnt-out yet as the Japanese star prepares for her … Read more