Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova on Friday defeated defending champion Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at the ongoing Australian Open.

This is Sharapova's biggest win since her return, as the two met for the 11th time today. &nbsp;

At 30-40 Sharapova engineered her first match point but Wozniacki held her nerve in a gutsy 18-shot rally.&nbsp; More brute force from Sharapova at deuce created a second match point, monstering another poor second serve before pounding away until the dam broke.

"I thought the level was quite high. I knew I'd get a tough match - she [Wozniacki] is the defending champion. I haven't played many matches in the last year against top players so it was really rewarding to win that last set. These are the kinds of matches I train for, Sharapova said in her&nbsp;post-match interview.&nbsp;

"I am definitely not walking round thinking I have the experience and they will give it to me because the girl on the other side will have their own experience," She added.

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"I thought the level was quite high." 
 
Sure was, <a href="https://twitter.com/MariaSharapova?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MariaSharapova</a> 👏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/FCUibIl7cV">pic.twitter.com/FCUibIl7cV</a>
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Sharapova will next face Australia's Ashleigh Barty in the fourth round.&nbsp;

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova on Friday defeated defending champion Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at the ongoing Australian Open. This is Sharapova's biggest win since her return, as the two met for the 11th time today.

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova on Friday defeated defending champion Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at the ongoing Australian Open. This is Sharapova's biggest win since her return, as the two met for the 11th time today. At 30-40 Sharapova engineered her first match point but Wozniacki held her nerve in a gutsy 18-shot rally. More brute force from Sharapova at deuce created a second match point, monstering another poor second serve before pounding away until the dam broke. "I thought the level was quite high. I knew I'd get a tough match - she [Wozniacki] is the defending champion. I haven't played many matches in the last year against top players so it was really rewarding to win that last set. These are the kinds of matches I train for, Sharapova said in her post-match interview. "I am definitely not walking round thinking I have the experience and they will give it to me because the girl on the other side will have their own experience," She added. "I thought the level was quite high." Sure was, @MariaSharapova 👏#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/FCUibIl7cV — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2019 × Sharapova will next face Australia's Ashleigh Barty in the fourth round.

Australian Open: Sharapova upsets defending champion Wozniacki, says 'level was quite high'

By Francesca Cavallerio

Two things struck me while watching Andy Murray’s press conference from the Australian Open, in which he announced his intention to retire. He spoke about the pain he had lived with “over the past 20 months or so”, and how he had planned to continue until Wimbledon this summer but was no longer sure he could. Then there was a long pause, that lump in the throat before he was able to utter the words “stop playing”.

My first question was: “Why not sooner?” Why would someone put himself through such suffering for such a long time, despite knowing that the consequences of this overuse of his body would haunt him for the rest of his life? Why not stop before? And my second question was: “Will he be OK after retiring?”

Scrolling through the numerous tweets from tennis celebrities on the subject, I found one regret kept appearing over and over again: “Sorry you cannot retire on your own terms.” Not only is retirement considered a tough process for athletes, but research has confirmed that retirement due to injury is especially difficult. The athlete is forced into the decision of abandoning their life, not because of lack of motivation but because their body has given up.

The question is whether there is a way to avoid this. Should we just accept that elite sport is bad for the body, and not just in the long term, but more and more often in the short term? Like many retiring athletes, Andy Murray is only in his early thirties and has suffered painful injuries throughout his career. What is it that makes it OK to be in severe pain for 20 months and keep playing?

Sport sociologists have identified that what is known as a culture of risk dominates the professional sport. Its ethical values of sacrifice, striving for greatness, taking chances, rejecting limits and playing through pain are reflected in the way pain is portrayed as normal and risks are glorified. In particular, injury and pain are seen as a constant fixture in a competitor’s life, and they are not a “real athlete” if they do not train and play through these problems.

Although warm and encouraging, many tweets directed to Murray highlighted this tendency to glorify risk and pain, such as “everyone wants you to keep fighting” or “stay strong and keep fighting”, “continue to keep fighting on the court”. Wasn’t fighting for 20 months enough?

This culture encourages athletes not to listen to and take care of their bodies, something that perhaps Murray has now realised. When discussing the hip surgery he is considering, he said: “The reason for having an operation is not to return to the professional sport, it’s just for a better quality of life.” At 31, Murray still has a lot of life to live. As 12-time grand slam champion Billie Jean King put it: “[His] greatest impact on the world may be yet to come.”

Yet if you believe in the idea that “sport is life and life is sport”, it becomes difficult to imagine how Murray will ever be happy and fully satisfied again. The dominant culture makes it very difficult for athletes to say goodbye to their sport and move onto something new.

A developing branch of sport psychology that focuses on the narratives that we use to talk and think about sport might help understand this process, the bumps in the road and potential ways to reach a happy ending. According to this narrative research, humans are “storied beings”, which means that they make sense of their lives through creating and sharing their personal stories. Stories have a plot, and narrative researchers argue that each culture has a shared number of plots (narratives) that we use to understand and inform their lives.

The most common – and encouraged – narrative in elite sport is the performance narrative, which runs along the lines of: “I love my sport. My sport is everything in my life. Nothing is more important than my sport and succeeding in it.” Not surprisingly, this narrative means that to be successful an athlete needs to be single-minded and focused on their sport to the exclusion of other areas of life.

Changing the narrative

As a result, things then become much more difficult for athletes once the professional chapter of the story ends. My own research with retired elite gymnasts highlights how athletes who fall under a performance narrative while at the top of their game, end up with a much more confused personal story, an entangled narrative, once they retire. The plot of their story is: “I was a successful gymnast. I am not a gymnast anymore. I want to be a gymnast again.” Because other areas of their lives aren’t developed, they fix a melancholic gaze on the past, unable to refocus on, enjoy or develop from present experiences.

But it doesn’t have to be like this. Other narratives allow athletes to step away from the classic expectations of the culture of risk, and allow them to develop more successfully towards their happy-ever-after. For example, the discovery narrative involves developing other identities outside of the sport.

Thankfully, Murray has already started to do this, becoming a father, as well as an inspirational role model and feminist. Hopefully, these roles will help him get through the reinvention of his story and further inspire the next generation of athletes.

(Francesca Cavallerio is Lecturer in Sport Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/andy-murray-breaking-away-from-sports-no-pain-no-gain-culture-109824">original article)</a>

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

By Francesca Cavallerio Two things struck me while watching Andy Murray’s press conference from the Australian Open, in which he announced his intention to retire.

By Francesca Cavallerio Two things struck me while watching Andy Murray’s press conference from the Australian Open, in which he announced his intention to retire. He spoke about the pain he had lived with “over the past 20 months or so”, and how he had planned to continue until Wimbledon this summer but was no longer sure he could. Then there was a long pause, that lump in the throat before he was able to utter the words “stop playing”. My first question was: “Why not sooner?” Why would someone put himself through such suffering for such a long time, despite knowing that the consequences of this overuse of his body would haunt him for the rest of his life? Why not stop before? And my second question was: “Will he be OK after retiring?” Scrolling through the numerous tweets from tennis celebrities on the subject, I found one regret kept appearing over and over again: “Sorry you cannot retire on your own terms.” Not only is retirement considered a tough process for athletes, but research has confirmed that retirement due to injury is especially difficult. The athlete is forced into the decision of abandoning their life, not because of lack of motivation but because their body has given up. The question is whether there is a way to avoid this. Should we just accept that elite sport is bad for the body, and not just in the long term, but more and more often in the short term? Like many retiring athletes, Andy Murray is only in his early thirties and has suffered painful injuries throughout his career. What is it that makes it OK to be in severe pain for 20 months and keep playing? Sport sociologists have identified that what is known as a culture of risk dominates the professional sport. Its ethical values of sacrifice, striving for greatness, taking chances, rejecting limits and playing through pain are reflected in the way pain is portrayed as normal and risks are glorified. In particular, injury and pain are seen as a constant fixture in a competitor’s life, and they are not a “real athlete” if they do not train and play through these problems. Although warm and encouraging, many tweets directed to Murray highlighted this tendency to glorify risk and pain, such as “everyone wants you to keep fighting” or “stay strong and keep fighting”, “continue to keep fighting on the court”. Wasn’t fighting for 20 months enough? This culture encourages athletes not to listen to and take care of their bodies, something that perhaps Murray has now realised. When discussing the hip surgery he is considering, he said: “The reason for having an operation is not to return to the professional sport, it’s just for a better quality of life.” At 31, Murray still has a lot of life to live. As 12-time grand slam champion Billie Jean King put it: “[His] greatest impact on the world may be yet to come.” Yet if you believe in the idea that “sport is life and life is sport”, it becomes difficult to imagine how Murray will ever be happy and fully satisfied again. The dominant culture makes it very difficult for athletes to say goodbye to their sport and move onto something new. A developing branch of sport psychology that focuses on the narratives that we use to talk and think about sport might help understand this process, the bumps in the road and potential ways to reach a happy ending. According to this narrative research, humans are “storied beings”, which means that they make sense of their lives through creating and sharing their personal stories. Stories have a plot, and narrative researchers argue that each culture has a shared number of plots (narratives) that we use to understand and inform their lives. The most common – and encouraged – narrative in elite sport is the performance narrative, which runs along the lines of: “I love my sport. My sport is everything in my life. Nothing is more important than my sport and succeeding in it.” Not surprisingly, this narrative means that to be successful an athlete needs to be single-minded and focused on their sport to the exclusion of other areas of life. Changing the narrative As a result, things then become much more difficult for athletes once the professional chapter of the story ends. My own research with retired elite gymnasts highlights how athletes who fall under a performance narrative while at the top of their game, end up with a much more confused personal story, an entangled narrative, once they retire. The plot of their story is: “I was a successful gymnast. I am not a gymnast anymore. I want to be a gymnast again.” Because other areas of their lives aren’t developed, they fix a melancholic gaze on the past, unable to refocus on, enjoy or develop from present experiences. But it doesn’t have to be like this. Other narratives allow athletes to step away from the classic expectations of the culture of risk, and allow them to develop more successfully towards their happy-ever-after. For example, the discovery narrative involves developing other identities outside of the sport. Thankfully, Murray has already started to do this, becoming a father, as well as an inspirational role model and feminist. Hopefully, these roles will help him get through the reinvention of his story and further inspire the next generation of athletes. (Francesca Cavallerio is Lecturer in Sport Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Andy Murray: Breaking away from sport’s ‘no pain, no gain’ culture

Caroline Wozniacki launched her title defence at the Australian Open with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win against Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck in the first round on Monday.&nbsp;

The third-seeded Dane broke Van Uytvanck once in each set and kept her unforced errors down to win the baseline battle in an hour and 33 minutes in the first match of the evening session at the Rod Laver Arena.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/who-will-win-the-australian-open-this-is-what-the-dna-says-190006">Who will win the Australian Open? This is what the DNA says</a>

The 24-year-old Van Uytvanck, ranked 52, troubled Wozniacki with some well-disguised drop shots but did not have enough to register her maiden win at Melbourne Park in her fifth appearance in both singles and doubles.&nbsp;

Wozniacki, who is battling rheumatoid arthritis, sealed the match with a forehand winner on her third match point and will next meet Sweden's Johanna Larsson, who progressed after Vera Lapko of Belarus retired while trailing 7-6(5) 3-0.&nbsp;

Caroline Wozniacki launched her title defence at the Australian Open with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win against Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck in the first round on Monday.

Caroline Wozniacki launched her title defence at the Australian Open with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win against Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck in the first round on Monday. The third-seeded Dane broke Van Uytvanck once in each set and kept her unforced errors down to win the baseline battle in an hour and 33 minutes in the first match of the evening session at the Rod Laver Arena. Also Read: Who will win the Australian Open? This is what the DNA says The 24-year-old Van Uytvanck, ranked 52, troubled Wozniacki with some well-disguised drop shots but did not have enough to register her maiden win at Melbourne Park in her fifth appearance in both singles and doubles. Wozniacki, who is battling rheumatoid arthritis, sealed the match with a forehand winner on her third match point and will next meet Sweden's Johanna Larsson, who progressed after Vera Lapko of Belarus retired while trailing 7-6(5) 3-0.

Australian Open: Caroline Wozniacki through to 2nd round with comfortable win

John Isner, the United States number one tennis player, was sent crashing out of the first round of the Australian Open by compatriot Reilly Opelka 7-6(4) 7-6(6) 6-7(4) 7-6(5), on Monday.&nbsp;

Ishner, who is Wimbledon semi-finalist, fell at the first hurdle at Melbourne Park for the second year in a row. Last year, he was beaten by unseeded Australian Matthew Ebden. &nbsp;

The 21-year-old Opelka broke the ninth seed's perfect 9-0 winning record against Americans at the Grand Slams in a match featuring 87 aces.

"You keep working and put your head down and kind of disappear once I leave here and just work." And, you know, trust that that's going to pay dividends for me in the future," Isner said.

Opelka will next play 102nd ranked Italy's Thomas Fabbiano in the second round.

John Isner, the United States number one tennis player, was sent crashing out of the first round of the Australian Open by compatriot Reilly Opelka 7-6(4) 7-6(6) 6-7(4) 7-6(5), on Monday.

John Isner, the United States number one tennis player, was sent crashing out of the first round of the Australian Open by compatriot Reilly Opelka 7-6(4) 7-6(6) 6-7(4) 7-6(5), on Monday. Ishner, who is Wimbledon semi-finalist, fell at the first hurdle at Melbourne Park for the second year in a row. Last year, he was beaten by unseeded Australian Matthew Ebden. The 21-year-old Opelka broke the ninth seed's perfect 9-0 winning record against Americans at the Grand Slams in a match featuring 87 aces. "You keep working and put your head down and kind of disappear once I leave here and just work." And, you know, trust that that's going to pay dividends for me in the future," Isner said. Opelka will next play 102nd ranked Italy's Thomas Fabbiano in the second round.

Australian Open: America's John Isner stunned by compatriot Opelka