There will be no World Tennis Tour events held in China in 2022, an International Tennis Federation (ITF) source confirmed to Reuters on Thursday. The source did not say if the move was linked to concerns over the health and safety of doubles star Peng Shuai. In the last full season in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, China hosted about 25 ITF women’s and 15 men’s events.

World Tennis Tour events are professional tournaments below the elite level. The ITF Women`s World Tennis Tour offers approximately 500 tournaments across 65 countries offering prize money from $15,000 to $100,000. 
"No men’s or women’s ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments are scheduled to be played in China in 2022," an ITF source told Reuters without providing any further details.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/peng-shuai-row-china-hits-back-at-wta-for-politicising-sport-after-it-suspends-all-tournaments-in-country-433494">Peng Shuai row: China hits back at WTA for 'politicising sport' after it suspends all tournaments in country</a>

The ITF gave no reason for the decision but it follows the Women`s Tennis Association`s (WTA) move to suspend tournaments in China following Peng`s accusations of sexual assault against a former vice premier. Peng, a former doubles world number one, was unseen in public for nearly three weeks after she posted a message on social media in November accusing China`s former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of forcing her into sex, with her whereabouts becoming a matter of international concern.

Unlike the WTA, the ITF does not have major professional tournaments in China and is more focused on grassroots development events.

There will be no World Tennis Tour events held in China in 2022, an International Tennis Federation (ITF) source confirmed to Reuters on Thursday. The source did not say if the move was linked to concerns over the health and safety of doubles star Peng Shuai.

There will be no World Tennis Tour events held in China in 2022, an International Tennis Federation (ITF) source confirmed to Reuters on Thursday. The source did not say if the move was linked to concerns over the health and safety of doubles star Peng Shuai. In the last full season in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, China hosted about 25 ITF women’s and 15 men’s events. World Tennis Tour events are professional tournaments below the elite level. The ITF Women`s World Tennis Tour offers approximately 500 tournaments across 65 countries offering prize money from $15,000 to $100,000. "No men’s or women’s ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments are scheduled to be played in China in 2022," an ITF source told Reuters without providing any further details. ALSO READ | Peng Shuai row: China hits back at WTA for 'politicising sport' after it suspends all tournaments in country The ITF gave no reason for the decision but it follows the Women`s Tennis Association`s (WTA) move to suspend tournaments in China following Peng`s accusations of sexual assault against a former vice premier. Peng, a former doubles world number one, was unseen in public for nearly three weeks after she posted a message on social media in November accusing China`s former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of forcing her into sex, with her whereabouts becoming a matter of international concern. Unlike the WTA, the ITF does not have major professional tournaments in China and is more focused on grassroots development events.

Peng Shuai row? No World Tennis Tour events in China in 2022, confirms ITF source

Not often does one get to make a living out of his, or her, passion. Moreover, not many manage to don, and perform, various roles while following their passion at a professional level.

Not often does one get to make a living out of his, or her, passion. Moreover, not many manage to don, and perform, various roles while following their passion at a professional level. Coach Sanjay Singh has done it all. From starting as a player to turning into a physio and honing his skills as an international coach, Mr. Singh has ticked several boxes while staying relevant in the field of tennis for years. Above all, his childlike passion remains infectious. Such has been his success story that Mr. Singh has taken Indian tennis into uncharted territory. After all, how often do we see Indian coaches being active in WTA or ATP tours? Also, have we often heard about Indian coaches for elite non-Indian tennis players? The answer to both the queries would have been in the negative if not for Sanjay Singh. However, Mr. Singh is one such personality who has single-handedly kept Indian tennis' flag high with his presence as a coach of Brazilian youngster Luisa Stefani and American star Hayley Carter. ALSO READ | Peng Shuai row: China hits back at WTA for 'politicising sport' after it suspends all tournaments in country In an exclusive interaction with WION news' Aditya Sahay, Sanjay Singh dwelled upon many aspects of his career, the several role transformations, satisfying journey with Luisa and Carter so far, the camaraderie with Indian tennis great Leander Paes and the state of affairs with regard to tennis in the cricket-crazy country. EXCERPTS: Like mentioned, not often do we see Indian coaches for foreign players. You have changed it all in many ways. How did it all happen? (Laughs) Well, I was a player initially. I was playing in Orissa Open. It so happened that I was playing in one court and the other player had a cramp. Because I used to work as the helper, I was asked to chip in and help. I assisted him and came back to play my match. At that time, I thought we don't have focus on working on players' fitness in India. So, I thought to take this up. That's where I started as a physiotherapist. During Davis Cup tie, Ramesh Krishnan's trainer didn't turn up, hence, they called me and I worked with him. When his trainer came back, Leander asked me to join him. There is no end to learning. You learn from small kids also. In India, they think they know everything. They don't respect others. Among Indian players, only few are travelling abroad for training and all. You need to have awareness and the learning ability within you. Always!. In one of your interviews, you rightly pointed out how India is a country where people like to stay in their own preconceived views or opinions. Many labelled you as 'one who gives massages to Leander Paes'. Was it a conscious effort to revamp your image or you never paid heed to all such claims? Before I started off, I was a tennis player. Since there was no body looking after the players' body, their demands off the court and their suffering, I started working on this aspect. With Leander, I used to work with him. But since my knowledge of tennis was always there, he kept me involved asking 'Dadda (brother), what to do, did I mess it up?' I never had to tell people what I was doing with Leander. We both knew where we were heading and that's what mattered. End of the day 'let the racket talk'. It (criticism) never bothered me as it was all behind my back. Hence, many talented players' careers are now over. They stop working on themselves after a bit of initial success. It is sad. Many didn't want to learn that often. Leander always tries to grasp more in every scenario. Unlike in India, I get much more respect in Florida. For our Prime Minister, they still call him as 'the chaiwala (tea-seller)' but one doesn't see, or acknowledge, his journey and development. We need to respect each other and see one's growth. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sanjay singh (@coachsanjaysingh) × Coming to Luisa Stefani and Hayley Carter! Both are different individuals and, hence, have different styles, strengths and weaknesses. While Stefani is the first Brazilian woman to feature in the WTA's Top 10 and occupies the ninth rank in doubles, American star Carter has also come a long way to sit at the 25th spot in doubles rankings. How did your association begin with the duo? What defines them of both? Can you highlight few areas where they have shown vast improvement under your watchful eyes? When I used to travel with Leander, my base was in Florida. During my off-season, I used to train at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy. Back then, I was asked if I can train this young girl called Luisa Stefani. I saw her and was floored by her talent and skills. I was like 'wow, this girl has fire, she is fast and comes to the net'. Since she wanted to be pro, she had to change her visa. She couldn't get the visa initially and, thus, went back. In 2018, she returned. Then we started playing and practicing. There was one month of intense training. Her parents then asked me to travel with her. So I started in April 2019. In May, she won the Italy Championship in England. Thus, she had a chance to enter the Wimbledon but she was alternate, hence, couldn't get in. The same fate followed in the US Open. On the other hand, Hayley was looking for a partner. Luisa asked me and I told her play with Hayley. They won the Uzbekistan Championship (i.e. Tashkent Open) in 2019 and then they lost the third round in Australian Open 2020. Luisa has a big serve whereas Hayley attacked the net more often. Only drawback was the overhead shot. That was the area we were lagging behind. But we started combining well and then after that Hayley got hurt in Wimbledon this year. Then we got Gabriela Dabrowski with Luisa. We reached the final of Cincinnati 2021 and semi-final of US Open. During the pandemic, we weren't training. We used to be in the bubble. We were getting tested. RT-PCR tests and being confined inside was the new normal. Mentally it was very tough and, hence, many players are now burning out. The only time they opened up little bit was during the Cincinnati (Open). Life was tough. We couldn't go out. One had to resort to Uber Eats. We used to have a table downstairs in the lobby where the food was kept by the Uber guy and then we had to take it. It was all about dealing with the bio bubble life and surviving (sighs). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sanjay singh (@coachsanjaysingh) × The world of sports knows a lot about Leander Paes. He remains the face of Indian tennis. Share your equation with him. How did it start and where is it at present? How has he helped in your transformation from being a physio to coach? See, it was during the Davis Cup tie in New Delhi when I met him. I used to work in the hotel as a helper supervisor. In 1996, it was tough for me to manage work and my tennis stuff. So I left my job and came on board with Paes. He wanted me to learn everything because he never trusted anyone else. Let me tell you, I used to travel with a stringing machine as he was playing so much. Everyday 7-8 rackets were used. But, Leander has always encouraged me. He used to ask me to interact with people, observe others and share inputs. He always believed in me. I used to be his brother, buddy and everything. He says he wants to retire in Wimbledon 2022. Let's see. He tells me 'Dadda, you will get me ready for Wimbledon'. We both call each other 'Dadda'. That sums up the whole equation, doesn't it? (smiles). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sanjay singh (@coachsanjaysingh) × ALSO READ | EXCLUSIVE | Dark clouds of struggle have a 'silver' lining for Mirabai Chanu's coach Vijay Sharma Lastly, thoughts on tennis in India. From Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna, Sania Mirza to Sumit Nagal, the sport has come a long way in the country but there obviously remains huge scope for improvement and participation among the youth. Your views regarding the status of the game in the country at present? In India, they should have a team who knows about the game firstly. Mr Sundar Iyer (Secretary of the Maharashtra Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) and Manager of Indian Davis Cup Team) is doing great in getting tournaments in India. He's doing very well. See, if youngsters play more tournaments, sponsor them. Work for the players. Give them their due by supplying resources and everything that matters to build their careers. Even a peon is getting an India jacket. Give it to people who need it more. They need to sponsor juniors so that they can play tournaments outside India. It helps in building their games at a young level. For the unversed, in Brazil there are 7-8 juniors playing on tours. How many in India? Hardly! For players, they should learn from Leander. If they do good in one game, they get complacent. Their collars go up after one good win. They don't know next week is a new week. Nowadays, we tend to go for shortcuts. Leander was never like this. Now I'm in states, when I see things there, players never have to worry about tennis court. Here, staff ask for INR 100 as court fees. Wherever you play, they will be charging you. How can a youngster manage all this, who is just trying to come up the ranks? Unless and until they change the entire system, nothing will happen. Hence, many players move abroad to train and manage themselves. Here for everything, they will charge and still not provide all facilities. They've to change a lot. We have to be player-friendly and not administration-friendly. India is such a great country. We have everything. But we face so many problems unnecessarily. Base has to change. Believe me, we have such great potential and that we can do wonders. But youngsters don't get support. In abroad, players get full support. Outside India, the association is taking care of players and coaches. In Brazil, association are paying for trainers who are travelling with players. Unimaginable. It cannot even be expected in India. Even such thinking is missing in the country. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sanjay singh (@coachsanjaysingh) × Luisa won the first medal for Brazil (bronze in women's doubles in Tokyo 2020). Their government called and felicitated me. As a foreign coach, they are calling and honouring me. This doesn't happen in India. The coach can give you the idea, but who will bring you to the court -- a trainer. If you have a Ferrari but the engine doesn't work properly, it is as good as a showpiece. Hence, a lot needs to change. Be more player-friendly, focus on coaches and trainers, give them their due and build youngsters' careers from the junior level itself.

EXCLUSIVE | Who is Sanjay Singh? A close ally of Leander Paes & guiding light of Luisa Stefani-Hayley Carter

Tennis stars back WTA’s move to suspend its tournaments in China over concern for Peng Shuai, as calls grew for other sports organisations to take action.

Tennis stars' show solidarity with Peng Shuai, backs WTA's move to suspend tournaments

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) on Wednesday announced the immediate suspension of all tournaments in China and Hong Kong due to concerns about the well-being of former doubles world No. 1 Peng Shuai and the safety of other players.

WTA suspends tennis tournaments in China over Peng Shuai's safety concerns

Tennis ace Novak Djokovic will reportedly skip the Australian Open over the tournament's vaccine mandate. Why are so many professional athletes refusing the jab? Are they paranoid or misled? Palki Sharma tells you.

Gravitas: Novak Djokovic to skip Australian Open?

Before Zhang Gaoli was engulfed in accusations that he had sexually assaulted a tennis champion, he seemed to embody the qualities that the Chinese Communist Party prizes in officials: austere, disciplined, and impeccably loyal to the leader of the day.

He had climbed steadily from running an oil refinery to a succession of leadership posts along China’s fast-growing coast, avoiding the scandals and controversy that felled other, flashily ambitious politicians. He became known, if for anything, for his monotone impersonality. On entering China’s top leadership, he invited people to search for anything amiss in his behavior.

“Stern, low-key, taciturn,” summed up one of the few profiles of him in the Chinese media. His interests, Xinhua News Agency said, included books, chess and tennis.

Now the allegation from Peng Shuai, the professional tennis player, has cast Zhang’s private life under a blaze of international attention, making him a symbol of a political system that prizes secrecy and control over open accountability. The allegation raises questions about how far Chinese officials carry their declared ideals of clean-living integrity into their heavily guarded homes.

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/the-curious-case-of-china-vs-rest-of-world-over-a-missing-tennis-star-432093">The curious case of China vs rest of world over a 'missing' tennis star</a>

“Zhang epitomized the image of the bland apparatchik that the party has worked hard to cultivate,” said Jude Blanchette, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Peng’s account — that Zhang coerced her into sex during a yearslong, on-off relationship — has not been corroborated. The Chinese authorities’ vigorous efforts to stifle any mention of the matter suggest there is little chance that Zhang will ever be called to public account, even if that might clear his name. Neither Peng nor Zhang have made any public comment since her post appeared.

“One would have to imagine, sadly, that in an opaque and patriarchal system of unchecked power these sorts of abuses are not uncommon,” Blanchette added.

When Peng, 35, posted her accusation on the popular social media platform Weibo on the night of Nov. 2, she took readers into the cosseted personal lives of the Communist Party’s elite.

In Peng’s post, addressed to Zhang, she said the two had met more than a decade earlier when her career was taking off and his was nearing its peak. At the time, she wrote, he was the Communist Party chief of Tianjin, a northern port city, and he told her his political position made it impossible for him to divorce his wife.

IN PICS |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/peng-shuai-world-seeks-answers-as-chinese-tennis-player-goes-missing-heres-is-what-we-know-so-far-430863">Peng Shuai: World seeks answers as Chinese tennis player goes 'missing'; Here's is what we know so far</a>

Zhang dropped contact with her, the post said, after ascending to the Communist Party’s highest body, the Politburo Standing Committee, a post he held for five years. During this time, he was entrusted with overseeing China’s initial preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympics, which is now being overshadowed by the furor.

About three years ago, after stepping down, Zhang called the head of a tennis academy to summon Peng to play tennis with him at a party-owned hotel in Beijing, called the Kangming, that plays host to retired officials, according to her post.

Later that day, she said, he forced her to have sex in his home. They resumed a relationship, but he insisted it remain furtive. She had to switch cars to be able to enter the government compound where he lives in Beijing, she wrote. He warned her to tell no one, not even her mother.

With rarely a word or hair out of place, Zhang has seemed an unlikely protagonist for a scandal that has rippled around the world. He belongs to a generation of officials who rose after the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution, taking on the self-effacing ethos of collective leadership under Hu Jintao, who preceded the country’s current leader, Xi Jinping.

Zhang, who turned 75 the day before Peng’s post appeared, was born in a fishing village in Fujian province. According to official accounts, his father died when he was a child. He began studying economics at Xiamen University in Fujian, but his education was cut short by the Cultural Revolution, when Mao Zedong largely shut down university classes.

In 1970, he was assigned to work at oil fields in southern China, where he first heaved bags of cement, according to official profiles.

Within years, he climbed into management. As Deng Xiaoping and other leaders shepherded China into an era of market reforms, Zhang became one of those officials whose economic expertise and smattering of higher education marked them for promotion. He perfected the methodical, button-down manner of an official who had submerged his life in the party hierarchy.

He served as the party leader of Shenzhen, the city next to Hong Kong that Deng promoted as a showpiece of China’s newfound commercial dynamism. He won the favor of Deng’s successor, Jiang Zemin, and by the early 2000s was put in charge of Shandong, a province crowded with ports and factories.

In 2007, he was promoted to oversee Tianjin, the provincial-level port whose fortunes had flagged while other coastal areas boomed. Zhang pushed plans to convert a drab industrial area of Tianjin into a modern business precinct — a “new Manhattan” — that would attract multinationals and wealthy residents.

That project has faltered under debt and inflated expectations, but Zhang moved upward into the central leadership in 2012. He became executive vice premier: in effect, China’s deputy prime minister.

“I hope that all the party members, officials and members of the public in this city will continue to exercise strict oversight over me,” Zhang said in 2012 as he left Tianjin for Beijing.

Zhang’s experience managing big projects made him a safe pair of hands for some of the initiatives that Xi used to make his mark. He negotiated oil deals with Russian President Vladimir Putin and promoted Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Zhang oversaw the early preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. In 2016, he met with Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, as Bach was visiting the city.

It was Bach who on Sunday held a video call with Peng intended to reassure athletes and others worried about her disappearance after her post.

Earlier in Xi’s term, lurid reports about officials’ sexual misdeeds at times surfaced in state media, disclosures intended to signal that he was serious about purifying the party.

Xi’s priority now appears to be fending off any odor of scandal tainting the party’s top echelons. References to Peng’s account were nearly wiped off the internet inside China. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, suggested that the attention around Peng had become “malicious hype.” Official media have not shown or reported on Zhang since Peng went public; nor have they directly challenged her account.

“Even to deny her allegations would be to give them a level of credence that you couldn’t then roll back,” said Louisa Lim, a former journalist who long worked in China and the author of “The People’s Republic of Amnesia.”

When Zhang retired in 2018, he dropped from public view, as is the norm in Chinese politics. Retirement often comes with perks like high quality health care, housing and travel within China, but also some monitoring.

“Once you retire, your movements are reported to the party’s department of organization,” said Minxin Pei, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College in California who studies the party.

In her post, Peng seemed to indicate that she and Zhang had recently had a disagreement, and that he had once again “disappeared” as he did before. She wrote, though, that she expected that her account would have little effect on Zhang’s eminence.

“With your intelligence and wits,” she wrote, “I am sure you will either deny it, or blame it on me, or you could simply play it cool.”

Before Zhang Gaoli was engulfed in accusations that he had sexually assaulted a tennis champion, he seemed to embody the qualities that the Chinese Communist Party prizes in officials: austere, disciplined, and impeccably loyal to the leader of the day.

Before Zhang Gaoli was engulfed in accusations that he had sexually assaulted a tennis champion, he seemed to embody the qualities that the Chinese Communist Party prizes in officials: austere, disciplined, and impeccably loyal to the leader of the day. He had climbed steadily from running an oil refinery to a succession of leadership posts along China’s fast-growing coast, avoiding the scandals and controversy that felled other, flashily ambitious politicians. He became known, if for anything, for his monotone impersonality. On entering China’s top leadership, he invited people to search for anything amiss in his behavior. “Stern, low-key, taciturn,” summed up one of the few profiles of him in the Chinese media. His interests, Xinhua News Agency said, included books, chess and tennis. Now the allegation from Peng Shuai, the professional tennis player, has cast Zhang’s private life under a blaze of international attention, making him a symbol of a political system that prizes secrecy and control over open accountability. The allegation raises questions about how far Chinese officials carry their declared ideals of clean-living integrity into their heavily guarded homes. ALSO READ | The curious case of China vs rest of world over a 'missing' tennis star “Zhang epitomized the image of the bland apparatchik that the party has worked hard to cultivate,” said Jude Blanchette, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Peng’s account — that Zhang coerced her into sex during a yearslong, on-off relationship — has not been corroborated. The Chinese authorities’ vigorous efforts to stifle any mention of the matter suggest there is little chance that Zhang will ever be called to public account, even if that might clear his name. Neither Peng nor Zhang have made any public comment since her post appeared. “One would have to imagine, sadly, that in an opaque and patriarchal system of unchecked power these sorts of abuses are not uncommon,” Blanchette added. When Peng, 35, posted her accusation on the popular social media platform Weibo on the night of Nov. 2, she took readers into the cosseted personal lives of the Communist Party’s elite. In Peng’s post, addressed to Zhang, she said the two had met more than a decade earlier when her career was taking off and his was nearing its peak. At the time, she wrote, he was the Communist Party chief of Tianjin, a northern port city, and he told her his political position made it impossible for him to divorce his wife. IN PICS | Peng Shuai: World seeks answers as Chinese tennis player goes 'missing'; Here's is what we know so far Zhang dropped contact with her, the post said, after ascending to the Communist Party’s highest body, the Politburo Standing Committee, a post he held for five years. During this time, he was entrusted with overseeing China’s initial preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympics, which is now being overshadowed by the furor. About three years ago, after stepping down, Zhang called the head of a tennis academy to summon Peng to play tennis with him at a party-owned hotel in Beijing, called the Kangming, that plays host to retired officials, according to her post. Later that day, she said, he forced her to have sex in his home. They resumed a relationship, but he insisted it remain furtive. She had to switch cars to be able to enter the government compound where he lives in Beijing, she wrote. He warned her to tell no one, not even her mother. With rarely a word or hair out of place, Zhang has seemed an unlikely protagonist for a scandal that has rippled around the world. He belongs to a generation of officials who rose after the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution, taking on the self-effacing ethos of collective leadership under Hu Jintao, who preceded the country’s current leader, Xi Jinping. Zhang, who turned 75 the day before Peng’s post appeared, was born in a fishing village in Fujian province. According to official accounts, his father died when he was a child. He began studying economics at Xiamen University in Fujian, but his education was cut short by the Cultural Revolution, when Mao Zedong largely shut down university classes. In 1970, he was assigned to work at oil fields in southern China, where he first heaved bags of cement, according to official profiles. Within years, he climbed into management. As Deng Xiaoping and other leaders shepherded China into an era of market reforms, Zhang became one of those officials whose economic expertise and smattering of higher education marked them for promotion. He perfected the methodical, button-down manner of an official who had submerged his life in the party hierarchy. He served as the party leader of Shenzhen, the city next to Hong Kong that Deng promoted as a showpiece of China’s newfound commercial dynamism. He won the favor of Deng’s successor, Jiang Zemin, and by the early 2000s was put in charge of Shandong, a province crowded with ports and factories. In 2007, he was promoted to oversee Tianjin, the provincial-level port whose fortunes had flagged while other coastal areas boomed. Zhang pushed plans to convert a drab industrial area of Tianjin into a modern business precinct — a “new Manhattan” — that would attract multinationals and wealthy residents. That project has faltered under debt and inflated expectations, but Zhang moved upward into the central leadership in 2012. He became executive vice premier: in effect, China’s deputy prime minister. “I hope that all the party members, officials and members of the public in this city will continue to exercise strict oversight over me,” Zhang said in 2012 as he left Tianjin for Beijing. Zhang’s experience managing big projects made him a safe pair of hands for some of the initiatives that Xi used to make his mark. He negotiated oil deals with Russian President Vladimir Putin and promoted Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative. Zhang oversaw the early preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. In 2016, he met with Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, as Bach was visiting the city. It was Bach who on Sunday held a video call with Peng intended to reassure athletes and others worried about her disappearance after her post. Earlier in Xi’s term, lurid reports about officials’ sexual misdeeds at times surfaced in state media, disclosures intended to signal that he was serious about purifying the party. Xi’s priority now appears to be fending off any odor of scandal tainting the party’s top echelons. References to Peng’s account were nearly wiped off the internet inside China. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, suggested that the attention around Peng had become “malicious hype.” Official media have not shown or reported on Zhang since Peng went public; nor have they directly challenged her account. “Even to deny her allegations would be to give them a level of credence that you couldn’t then roll back,” said Louisa Lim, a former journalist who long worked in China and the author of “The People’s Republic of Amnesia.” When Zhang retired in 2018, he dropped from public view, as is the norm in Chinese politics. Retirement often comes with perks like high quality health care, housing and travel within China, but also some monitoring. “Once you retire, your movements are reported to the party’s department of organization,” said Minxin Pei, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College in California who studies the party. In her post, Peng seemed to indicate that she and Zhang had recently had a disagreement, and that he had once again “disappeared” as he did before. She wrote, though, that she expected that her account would have little effect on Zhang’s eminence. “With your intelligence and wits,” she wrote, “I am sure you will either deny it, or blame it on me, or you could simply play it cool.”

Leader accused by tennis player personified power in Beijing elite

In early 2020, the world was left shattered with the spread of the Covid-19 crisis. As a result, all major political gatherings, sporting events, etc. were cancelled or postponed with immediate effect. As there was panic worldwide due to the spread of the invisible enemy, sporting fans did their bit to try and spread some positivity and started a new trend, i.e. of engaging with their contemporaries or teammates via Instagram live sessions.

Among the various Instagram live sessions held during the Covid-19 lockdown worldwide, the memorable engagement between tennis greats Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer was a huge hit. The two have been fierce rivals on the tennis court but have often maintained healthy relations outside the court. While there are separate fan clubs of Nadal and Federer, who often get involved in banters or remain extremely possessive of their respective player, the scenario is very different in reality between Nadal and Federer. The two proved their healthy camaraderie and solid off-court relationship by engaging in a hilarious Instagram live session during the early Covid lockdown and dwelled on various aspects.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/china-makes-first-official-statement-on-tennis-star-peng-shuai-says-case-maliciously-hyped-up-431368">China makes first official statement on tennis star Peng Shuai, says case 'maliciously hyped up'</a>

Here's a compilation of the Instagram live session held between Nadal and Federer (where even Andy Murray joined in later):

&nbsp;

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Nadal: *intensely trying to work instagram* 
 
Andy Murray: <a href="https://t.co/rIyA4hLUb4">pic.twitter.com/rIyA4hLUb4</a>
— Matthew Willis (@mattracquet) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattracquet/status/1252274020382277634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Federer &amp; Murray making fun of Nadal while he struggles to find how to add Federer in IG Livestream 
 
This is the lockdown content we need <a href="https://t.co/yWbsZQtHJ0">pic.twitter.com/yWbsZQtHJ0</a>
— jani (@abhayjani4) <a href="https://twitter.com/abhayjani4/status/1252297185200427013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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When rivals become friends... And then try to get together for an Instagram live. 
 
A priceless moment between Nadal &amp; Federer. <a href="https://t.co/ExQXYubBDO">pic.twitter.com/ExQXYubBDO</a>
— Ada Ada (@queeninghere) <a href="https://twitter.com/queeninghere/status/1252312630456393730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Nadal hoping he can join the fathers group soon.... 👀👀 <a href="https://t.co/xDaU20QasC">pic.twitter.com/xDaU20QasC</a>
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The Nadal-Federer Instagram live session was an instant hit. It not only provided much relief to the fans, who were deprived of sporting action due to Covid-19 crisis in early 2020, but also shunned some negativity which was prevalant worldwide due to the pandemic.

Talking about the tennis events in 2021, all major tournaments have ended in the calendar year. Hence, the duo Nadal and Federer have shifted their focus to the upcoming calendar year. The 2022 season will commence with the Australian Open. With Nadal, Federer and world number one Novak Djokovic tied on 20 grand slam titles each, it will be interesting to see who among the famed trio will be the first to get to the elusive 21st title.&nbsp;

In early 2020, the world was left shattered with the spread of the Covid-19 crisis. As a result, all major political gatherings, sporting events, etc. were cancelled or postponed with immediate effect.

In early 2020, the world was left shattered with the spread of the Covid-19 crisis. As a result, all major political gatherings, sporting events, etc. were cancelled or postponed with immediate effect. As there was panic worldwide due to the spread of the invisible enemy, sporting fans did their bit to try and spread some positivity and started a new trend, i.e. of engaging with their contemporaries or teammates via Instagram live sessions. Among the various Instagram live sessions held during the Covid-19 lockdown worldwide, the memorable engagement between tennis greats Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer was a huge hit. The two have been fierce rivals on the tennis court but have often maintained healthy relations outside the court. While there are separate fan clubs of Nadal and Federer, who often get involved in banters or remain extremely possessive of their respective player, the scenario is very different in reality between Nadal and Federer. The two proved their healthy camaraderie and solid off-court relationship by engaging in a hilarious Instagram live session during the early Covid lockdown and dwelled on various aspects. ALSO READ | China makes first official statement on tennis star Peng Shuai, says case 'maliciously hyped up' Here's a compilation of the Instagram live session held between Nadal and Federer (where even Andy Murray joined in later): Nadal: *intensely trying to work instagram* Andy Murray: pic.twitter.com/rIyA4hLUb4 — Matthew Willis (@mattracquet) April 20, 2020 × Federer & Murray making fun of Nadal while he struggles to find how to add Federer in IG Livestream This is the lockdown content we need pic.twitter.com/yWbsZQtHJ0 — jani (@abhayjani4) April 20, 2020 × When rivals become friends... And then try to get together for an Instagram live. A priceless moment between Nadal & Federer. pic.twitter.com/ExQXYubBDO — Ada Ada (@queeninghere) April 20, 2020 × ALSO READ | WATCH: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic's equations make fan-club fights seem meaningless Nadal hoping he can join the fathers group soon.... 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/xDaU20QasC — José Morgado (@josemorgado) April 20, 2020 × The Nadal-Federer Instagram live session was an instant hit. It not only provided much relief to the fans, who were deprived of sporting action due to Covid-19 crisis in early 2020, but also shunned some negativity which was prevalant worldwide due to the pandemic. Talking about the tennis events in 2021, all major tournaments have ended in the calendar year. Hence, the duo Nadal and Federer have shifted their focus to the upcoming calendar year. The 2022 season will commence with the Australian Open. With Nadal, Federer and world number one Novak Djokovic tied on 20 grand slam titles each, it will be interesting to see who among the famed trio will be the first to get to the elusive 21st title.

When Rafael Nadal-Roger Federer's Instagram live left tennis lovers in awe during Covid lockdown - WATCH

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai`s video call with the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not address or alleviate the Women`s Tennis Association`s (WTA) concern about her well-being, the WTA said on Monday. 
 
The whereabouts of Peng, a former doubles world number one, became a matter of international concern nearly three weeks ago, after she alleged that former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her. 
 
She appeared at a dinner with friends on Saturday and a children`s tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday, photographs and videos published by Chinese state media journalists and by the tournament`s organisers show. But they have done little to quell concerns. 
 
"It was good to see Peng Shuai in recent videos, but they don`t alleviate or address the WTA`s concern about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion," a WTA spokeswoman said in an e-mail. 
 
Asked about the call with the IOC, the spokeswoman said: "This video does not change our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern." 
 
The IOC said in a statement that Peng held a 30-minute call with its president Thomas Bach on Sunday during which she said she was safe and well at home in Beijing, and wanted to have her privacy respected for now. 
 
The concern over Peng comes as global rights groups and others have called for a boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February over China`s human rights record. The WTA has also threatened to pull tournaments out of China over the matter.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/relieved-ioc-president-thomas-bach-interacts-with-chinese-tennis-star-peng-shuai-in-a-video-call-431047">'Relieved' IOC president Thomas Bach interacts with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai in a video call</a>

Hu Xijin, the editor of the state-owned newspaper Global Times who has in recent days posted videos and photographs of Peng in Beijing, said on Twitter https://twitter.com/huxijin_gt/status/1462655560893939715?s=21 on Monday that her appearance should be enough to ease worries of "those who truly care about (the) safety of Peng Shuai. 
 
"But for those aiming to attack China’s system and boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics, facts, no matter how many, don`t work for them," he said. 
 
On Nov. 2, Peng posted on Chinese social media that Zhang had coerced her into sex and they later had an on-off consensual relationship. The post was quickly deleted and the topic has been blocked from discussion on China`s heavily censored internet. Neither Zhang nor the Chinese government have commented on Peng`s allegations. China’s State Council Information office and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent on Monday. 
 
France`s foreign minister called on Sunday for Chinese authorities to let Peng speak publicly. "I`m expecting only one thing: that she speaks," Jean-Yves Le Drian told LCI television, adding that there could be unspecified diplomatic consequences if China did not clear up the situation. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the IOC`s statement. 
 
The United States and Britain have also called for China to provide proof of Peng`s whereabouts.Men`s singles world No.1 Novak Djokovic said it would be strange to hold tournaments in China unless the "horrific" situation was resolved.

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai`s video call with the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not address or alleviate the Women`s Tennis Association`s (WTA) concern about her well-being, the WTA said on Monday.

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai`s video call with the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not address or alleviate the Women`s Tennis Association`s (WTA) concern about her well-being, the WTA said on Monday. The whereabouts of Peng, a former doubles world number one, became a matter of international concern nearly three weeks ago, after she alleged that former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her. She appeared at a dinner with friends on Saturday and a children`s tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday, photographs and videos published by Chinese state media journalists and by the tournament`s organisers show. But they have done little to quell concerns. "It was good to see Peng Shuai in recent videos, but they don`t alleviate or address the WTA`s concern about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion," a WTA spokeswoman said in an e-mail. Asked about the call with the IOC, the spokeswoman said: "This video does not change our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern." The IOC said in a statement that Peng held a 30-minute call with its president Thomas Bach on Sunday during which she said she was safe and well at home in Beijing, and wanted to have her privacy respected for now. The concern over Peng comes as global rights groups and others have called for a boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February over China`s human rights record. The WTA has also threatened to pull tournaments out of China over the matter. ALSO READ | 'Relieved' IOC president Thomas Bach interacts with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai in a video call Hu Xijin, the editor of the state-owned newspaper Global Times who has in recent days posted videos and photographs of Peng in Beijing, said on Twitter https://twitter.com/huxijin_gt/status/1462655560893939715?s=21 on Monday that her appearance should be enough to ease worries of "those who truly care about (the) safety of Peng Shuai. "But for those aiming to attack China’s system and boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics, facts, no matter how many, don`t work for them," he said. On Nov. 2, Peng posted on Chinese social media that Zhang had coerced her into sex and they later had an on-off consensual relationship. The post was quickly deleted and the topic has been blocked from discussion on China`s heavily censored internet. Neither Zhang nor the Chinese government have commented on Peng`s allegations. China’s State Council Information office and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent on Monday. France`s foreign minister called on Sunday for Chinese authorities to let Peng speak publicly. "I`m expecting only one thing: that she speaks," Jean-Yves Le Drian told LCI television, adding that there could be unspecified diplomatic consequences if China did not clear up the situation. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the IOC`s statement. The United States and Britain have also called for China to provide proof of Peng`s whereabouts.Men`s singles world No.1 Novak Djokovic said it would be strange to hold tournaments in China unless the "horrific" situation was resolved.

WTA says Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai's video call with Olympic chief is not enough

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has re-appeared. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach interacted virtually in a 30-minute long video call with the Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who was apparently 'missing' after alleging that a powerful Chinese politician sexually assaulted her.

IOC president Thomas Bach interacts with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai in a video call

World number one Novak Djokovic has said he supports the Women`s Tennis Association`s (WTA) suggestion of not continuing its activities in China, following tennis player Peng Shuai`s questionable disappearance.

Peng, 35, a doubles champion at Wimbledon and the French Open, accused former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault according to screenshots of a since-deleted Weibo post dated November 2. Notably, Peng has not been heard from since alleging against the Chinese politician.

After defeating Cameron Norrie at the ATP Finals, Djokovic said the whole tennis community should come out in support of Peng and make sure she is safe.

"Someone told me there was some kind of statement that went out there that she was kept I don`t know if it was a prison, she was contained. I don`t know. She didn`t really have communication with everybody," Tennis.com quoted Djokovic as saying after the game.

"I hope this is true, that she`s found, that she`s healthy, that everything is fine. If this is the case, okay, at least the worst is avoided."I support the statement of WTA as an organization and also their president absolutely. This can obviously happen to anybody. I mean, this is not a common thing, obviously. We don`t hear about it. I don`t know if it ever has happened. But life is like that. Anybody can get lost. I don`t know, something can happen to you," he pointed out.

"The whole community, tennis community, needs to back her up and her family, make sure that she`s safe and sound because if you would have tournaments on the Chinese soil without resolving this situation, it would be a little bit strange. I do understand why WTA has taken a stance like that," Djokovic added.

ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi also said the safety of the Chinese player is of "immediate concern" and clarity is required on the matter."Developments in recent days in the case of Peng Shuai are deeply unsettling. this issue is bigger than tennis, as shown by the outpouring of concern within and beyond our sport," said Gaudenzi in a statement.

"Her safety is our most immediate concern and clarity is required on the situation. the need for verifiable direct communication with her is vital," he added.

In the email, Peng had purportedly claimed that her earlier accusations of sexual abuse are "not true" and says she is "resting at home and everything is fine."Women`s Tennis Association (WTA) Chairman and CEO, Steve Simon in a statement then said that he had a "hard time believing" the email was written by Peng.

Peng has won many doubles titles, including at Wimbledon in 2013. Zhang was a member of the Chinese Communist Party`s Politburo Standing Committee until 2017.&nbsp;

World number one Novak Djokovic has said he supports the Women`s Tennis Association`s (WTA) suggestion of not continuing its activities in China, following tennis player Peng Shuai`s questionable disappearance.

World number one Novak Djokovic has said he supports the Women`s Tennis Association`s (WTA) suggestion of not continuing its activities in China, following tennis player Peng Shuai`s questionable disappearance. Peng, 35, a doubles champion at Wimbledon and the French Open, accused former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault according to screenshots of a since-deleted Weibo post dated November 2. Notably, Peng has not been heard from since alleging against the Chinese politician. After defeating Cameron Norrie at the ATP Finals, Djokovic said the whole tennis community should come out in support of Peng and make sure she is safe. "Someone told me there was some kind of statement that went out there that she was kept I don`t know if it was a prison, she was contained. I don`t know. She didn`t really have communication with everybody," Tennis.com quoted Djokovic as saying after the game. "I hope this is true, that she`s found, that she`s healthy, that everything is fine. If this is the case, okay, at least the worst is avoided."I support the statement of WTA as an organization and also their president absolutely. This can obviously happen to anybody. I mean, this is not a common thing, obviously. We don`t hear about it. I don`t know if it ever has happened. But life is like that. Anybody can get lost. I don`t know, something can happen to you," he pointed out. "The whole community, tennis community, needs to back her up and her family, make sure that she`s safe and sound because if you would have tournaments on the Chinese soil without resolving this situation, it would be a little bit strange. I do understand why WTA has taken a stance like that," Djokovic added. ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi also said the safety of the Chinese player is of "immediate concern" and clarity is required on the matter."Developments in recent days in the case of Peng Shuai are deeply unsettling. this issue is bigger than tennis, as shown by the outpouring of concern within and beyond our sport," said Gaudenzi in a statement. "Her safety is our most immediate concern and clarity is required on the situation. the need for verifiable direct communication with her is vital," he added. In the email, Peng had purportedly claimed that her earlier accusations of sexual abuse are "not true" and says she is "resting at home and everything is fine."Women`s Tennis Association (WTA) Chairman and CEO, Steve Simon in a statement then said that he had a "hard time believing" the email was written by Peng. Peng has won many doubles titles, including at Wimbledon in 2013. Zhang was a member of the Chinese Communist Party`s Politburo Standing Committee until 2017.

Novak Djokovic supports WTA's decision of possible pull out of China over Peng Shuai's disappearance

Peng Shuai has been missing for 17 days. China is facing a storm over her disappearance. Tennis players & officials are challenging Beijing for silencing Peng. The WTA has threatened to withdraw from China. Palki Sharma tells you more.

Gravitas: #WhereIsPengShuai: Women's tennis is challenging China

The ball is back in Novak Djokovic's court. Australian Open chief Craig Tiley confirmed on Saturday that everyone who attends the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of 2022 will need to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, including all the players.

That continues to leave the status of defending and nine-time champion Djokovic in question. Djokovic, who has refused to say if he's vaccinated, would be attempting to win a record 21st Grand Slam singles title.

The tournament is scheduled for Jan. 17-30. The Victorian state government had earlier said only vaccinated persons would be allowed into the site for the tournament, and Tiley reiterated that on Saturday. 
Everyone on site, the fans, all the staff, the players, will need to be vaccinated,? Tiley said at the tournament's official launch. 
There's been a lot of speculation about Novak's position, he's said it's a private matter. We would love to see Novak here, but he knows he needs to be vaccinated in order to play. He's always said that the Australian Open is the event that puts the wind in his sails."

The no-vaccine, no-play edict was made by the Victorian state government in late October. It means the Australian Open will become the first Grand Slam tournament to require mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for the players. 
Victoria has been the hardest-hit state in Australia, with 1,268 pandemic deaths out of the country's total of 1,922 and 109,000 of 194,000 overall cases as of Saturday.

Melbourne and many other areas of Victoria have been subject to lengthy lockdowns and overnight curfews over the past 18 months. It's been made very clear, when the premier (Daniel Andrews) announced several weeks ago that in order to participate at the Australian Open, to come into Victoria, you'll need to be fully vaccinated,? Tiley said earlier on a morning television program.

Immediately we communicated that to the playing group, it is the one direction that you take that is going to ensure everyone's safety." Among the top male players, Tiley, who is the tournament director, said Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev, who beat Djokovic in the final of the U.S. Open, preventing the Serbian player from completing a calendar-year Grand Slam, plan to be in Melbourne in January.

Roger Federer, who continues to recover from right knee surgery, has already said he won't be coming. He, Nadal and Djokovic are all tied with 20 singles majors each.

Top-ranked Ash Barty of Australia will make another attempt to win her home major, and defending champion Naomi Osaka has also confirmed she'll play, Tiley said.

He said he'd been on the phone&nbsp;with Serena Williams in the past few days and Williams, who has 23 Grand Slam singles titles and needs one more to tie Margaret Court's all-time record, is training and plans to play.

Tiley, who said he'd also been in contact with Djokovic and his team, said it will be apparent by mid-December who will be coming. He said international players were currently going through the travel visa process with the Australian government and that entry for the Australian Open closes in December.

I know that he wants to play, he's clearly indicated that and he knows the conditions that he would have to undergo in order to be eligible to play," Tiley said of Djokovic.

Entry in here will be determined by around early to the middle of December on the entry deadline, So you'll know when a player's entered an event . . . So in the next couple of weeks you will have really good indication of where everyone's at because at that point there's an official list of who's going to be here.

Tiley said there will be full crowds for the tournament, meaning Rod Laver Arena will return to its capacity of about 15,000, as will the other main arenas.

The second week's schedule has changed for January's tournament, with both women's singles semifinals to be played Thursday evening ahead of the Saturday night final.

The men's singles semifinals will be split over the afternoon and evening session on Friday, with the final on Sunday night, Jan. 30.

Also, Victoria state Sports Minister Martin Pakula announced that Melbourne Park will host the Australian Open until 2044 under a new deal negotiated with Tennis Australia.

There's been speculation for several years that Sydney and New South Wales state wanted to poach the tournament from Melbourne, but Saturday's announcement appears to have ended any speculation about a move northeast to Australia's largest city.&nbsp;

The ball is back in Novak Djokovic's court. Australian Open chief Craig Tiley confirmed on Saturday that everyone who attends the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of 2022 will need to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, including all the players.

The ball is back in Novak Djokovic's court. Australian Open chief Craig Tiley confirmed on Saturday that everyone who attends the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of 2022 will need to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, including all the players. That continues to leave the status of defending and nine-time champion Djokovic in question. Djokovic, who has refused to say if he's vaccinated, would be attempting to win a record 21st Grand Slam singles title. The tournament is scheduled for Jan. 17-30. The Victorian state government had earlier said only vaccinated persons would be allowed into the site for the tournament, and Tiley reiterated that on Saturday. Everyone on site, the fans, all the staff, the players, will need to be vaccinated,? Tiley said at the tournament's official launch. There's been a lot of speculation about Novak's position, he's said it's a private matter. We would love to see Novak here, but he knows he needs to be vaccinated in order to play. He's always said that the Australian Open is the event that puts the wind in his sails." The no-vaccine, no-play edict was made by the Victorian state government in late October. It means the Australian Open will become the first Grand Slam tournament to require mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for the players. Victoria has been the hardest-hit state in Australia, with 1,268 pandemic deaths out of the country's total of 1,922 and 109,000 of 194,000 overall cases as of Saturday. Melbourne and many other areas of Victoria have been subject to lengthy lockdowns and overnight curfews over the past 18 months. It's been made very clear, when the premier (Daniel Andrews) announced several weeks ago that in order to participate at the Australian Open, to come into Victoria, you'll need to be fully vaccinated,? Tiley said earlier on a morning television program. Immediately we communicated that to the playing group, it is the one direction that you take that is going to ensure everyone's safety." Among the top male players, Tiley, who is the tournament director, said Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev, who beat Djokovic in the final of the U.S. Open, preventing the Serbian player from completing a calendar-year Grand Slam, plan to be in Melbourne in January. Roger Federer, who continues to recover from right knee surgery, has already said he won't be coming. He, Nadal and Djokovic are all tied with 20 singles majors each. Top-ranked Ash Barty of Australia will make another attempt to win her home major, and defending champion Naomi Osaka has also confirmed she'll play, Tiley said. He said he'd been on the phone with Serena Williams in the past few days and Williams, who has 23 Grand Slam singles titles and needs one more to tie Margaret Court's all-time record, is training and plans to play. Tiley, who said he'd also been in contact with Djokovic and his team, said it will be apparent by mid-December who will be coming. He said international players were currently going through the travel visa process with the Australian government and that entry for the Australian Open closes in December. I know that he wants to play, he's clearly indicated that and he knows the conditions that he would have to undergo in order to be eligible to play," Tiley said of Djokovic. Entry in here will be determined by around early to the middle of December on the entry deadline, So you'll know when a player's entered an event . . . So in the next couple of weeks you will have really good indication of where everyone's at because at that point there's an official list of who's going to be here. Tiley said there will be full crowds for the tournament, meaning Rod Laver Arena will return to its capacity of about 15,000, as will the other main arenas. The second week's schedule has changed for January's tournament, with both women's singles semifinals to be played Thursday evening ahead of the Saturday night final. The men's singles semifinals will be split over the afternoon and evening session on Friday, with the final on Sunday night, Jan. 30. Also, Victoria state Sports Minister Martin Pakula announced that Melbourne Park will host the Australian Open until 2044 under a new deal negotiated with Tennis Australia. There's been speculation for several years that Sydney and New South Wales state wanted to poach the tournament from Melbourne, but Saturday's announcement appears to have ended any speculation about a move northeast to Australia's largest city.

No vaccine proof, no play: Australian Open chief Craig Tiley tells Novak Dojokovic

The head of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), Steve Simon, in an interview with CNN, has said that he is in favour of pulling business even if that means losing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of business in China if tennis player Peng Shuai's safety is not fully accounted for.

WTA chairman to pull out of China if Peng Shuai's safety not taken care of

World number one Novak Djokovic said on Wednesday he hopes rival Roger Federer will return to competitive action soon and be able to compete with the best again after the Swiss great said he would miss the Australian Open in January.

Federer, 40, told Swiss media he is unlikely to return to competition until mid-2022 as he recovers from multiple knee surgeries and would be "extremely surprised" if he was able to play at Wimbledon, a Grand Slam he has won a record eight times.

The 20-times major champion said he would be able to resume running in January and return to training on the court in March or April.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/im-fighting-for-it-roger-federer-out-of-australian-open-participation-in-wimbledon-remains-doubtful-430030">'I'm fighting for it': Roger Federer out of Australian Open, participation in Wimbledon remains doubtful</a>

"Roger is an icon of our sport and people around the world love him. They love watching him play, love seeing him around," Djokovic said after securing a semi-final spot at the ATP Finals with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Russian Andrey Rublev.

"He's very important for our sport on and off the court. For the sake of our sport, I sincerely hope that we can see him play at least another time. I'm sure he doesn't want to end his career this way.

"I think he's going to definitely give it a last push, a last try. For everything he has achieved and created for this sport, he deserves to play and deserves to have a proper farewell."

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/atp-finals-fresher-novak-djokovic-sets-eyes-on-roger-federers-record-of-six-end-of-season-titles-428959">ATP Finals: 'Fresher' Novak Djokovic sets eyes on Roger Federer's record of six end-of-season titles</a>

Djokovic is looking to match Federer's record of six titles at the season-ending ATP Finals. He is top of the Green Group standings with two wins from two matches and will face Britain's Cameron Norrie in his final group game on Friday.

World number one Novak Djokovic said on Wednesday he hopes rival Roger Federer will return to competitive action soon and be able to compete with the best again after the Swiss great said he would miss the Australian Open in January.

World number one Novak Djokovic said on Wednesday he hopes rival Roger Federer will return to competitive action soon and be able to compete with the best again after the Swiss great said he would miss the Australian Open in January. Federer, 40, told Swiss media he is unlikely to return to competition until mid-2022 as he recovers from multiple knee surgeries and would be "extremely surprised" if he was able to play at Wimbledon, a Grand Slam he has won a record eight times. The 20-times major champion said he would be able to resume running in January and return to training on the court in March or April. ALSO READ: 'I'm fighting for it': Roger Federer out of Australian Open, participation in Wimbledon remains doubtful "Roger is an icon of our sport and people around the world love him. They love watching him play, love seeing him around," Djokovic said after securing a semi-final spot at the ATP Finals with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Russian Andrey Rublev. "He's very important for our sport on and off the court. For the sake of our sport, I sincerely hope that we can see him play at least another time. I'm sure he doesn't want to end his career this way. "I think he's going to definitely give it a last push, a last try. For everything he has achieved and created for this sport, he deserves to play and deserves to have a proper farewell." ALSO READ: ATP Finals: 'Fresher' Novak Djokovic sets eyes on Roger Federer's record of six end-of-season titles Djokovic is looking to match Federer's record of six titles at the season-ending ATP Finals. He is top of the Green Group standings with two wins from two matches and will face Britain's Cameron Norrie in his final group game on Friday.

Roger Federer is very important for our sport, says Novak Djokovic

Almost two weeks after she accused a former Vice Premier of sexual assault, Peng Shuai still remains missing from the public eye. Tennis stars like Novak Djokovic & Naomi Osaka are shocked. Palki Sharma asks: Why is China protecting former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli?

Gravitas: Tennis stars ask: Where is Peng Shuai?

World number two Aryna Sabalenka said she got vaccinated against COVID-19 after having to miss last month`s Indian Wells tournament because she contracted the novel coronavirus. 
 
The Belarusian, speaking on the eve of the season-ending WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico, had previously expressed concern about the vaccines, saying she was worried about how quickly they had been produced and which one might be the best for her. 
 
"I think I`m clear right now because in Miami I did the vaccine, Johnson &amp; Johnson," the 23-year-old told reporters on Tuesday. "Hopefully, I`m safe because I don`t want to stay in quarantine any more. It`s not a lot of fun." 
 
Sabalenka said she could not move for four days after testing positive last month. "I stayed in the room for 10 days. I was doing some workout there, but it wasn`t enough," she said. "I didn`t have taste, I didn`t have smell. Wasn`t really an amazing time." 
 
Sabalenka is the top seed at the WTA Finals after world number one Ash Barty decided not to travel to Mexico. She will face Spain`s Paula Badosa in her first match on Thursday. 
 
The WTA Finals, contested by the world`s top eight singles players and eight doubles teams, was relocated to Mexico from Shenzhen due to COVID-19 travel restrictions in China.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka said she got vaccinated against COVID-19 after having to miss last month`s Indian Wells tournament because she contracted the novel coronavirus.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka said she got vaccinated against COVID-19 after having to miss last month`s Indian Wells tournament because she contracted the novel coronavirus. The Belarusian, speaking on the eve of the season-ending WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico, had previously expressed concern about the vaccines, saying she was worried about how quickly they had been produced and which one might be the best for her. "I think I`m clear right now because in Miami I did the vaccine, Johnson & Johnson," the 23-year-old told reporters on Tuesday. "Hopefully, I`m safe because I don`t want to stay in quarantine any more. It`s not a lot of fun." Sabalenka said she could not move for four days after testing positive last month. "I stayed in the room for 10 days. I was doing some workout there, but it wasn`t enough," she said. "I didn`t have taste, I didn`t have smell. Wasn`t really an amazing time." Sabalenka is the top seed at the WTA Finals after world number one Ash Barty decided not to travel to Mexico. She will face Spain`s Paula Badosa in her first match on Thursday. The WTA Finals, contested by the world`s top eight singles players and eight doubles teams, was relocated to Mexico from Shenzhen due to COVID-19 travel restrictions in China.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka says she got vaccinated after contracting COVID-19

Rafa Nadal is aiming to return from injury at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi next month before playing another tournament in his buildup to the Australian Open, the world number five said.

Nadal struggled with back issues at the start of this year and pulled out of Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics. He last competed in August at the Citi Open in Washington.

He announced ahead of the U.S. Open that the injury to his left foot would rule him out for the rest of the year but said on Monday he might return at the Dec. 16-18 Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition event.

"My plan is to play Abu Dhabi in December and a tournament before playing the Australian Open. It is my goal and we are working hard to make it that way," Nadal said at a sponsor event in Paris.

"I don`t know exactly when I`ll be back, but I can say that my goal is to try to come back to Abu Dhabi in December, and then, of course, for the start of the new season in January.

"The injury in my foot still needs to get a little better, but I`m already training almost an hour and a half a day so that`s positive."

World number 12 Dominic Thiem, who has not played since suffering a wrist injury at the Mallorca Open in June, will also return to competitive tennis in Abu Dhabi.

Organisers confirmed the 2020 U.S. Open champion`s participation with Casper Ruud, Denis Shapovalov, Emma Raducanu and Tokyo Olympics singles champion Belinda Bencic also named for the event.

Nadal will be bidding for a men`s record 21st major title at the Australian Open, which is scheduled to start on Jan. 17.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has said no unvaccinated players would be permitted to play despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison telling local media they could compete but only after undergoing a 14-day quarantine.

Rafa Nadal is aiming to return from injury at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi next month before playing another tournament in his buildup to the Australian Open, the world number five said.

Rafa Nadal is aiming to return from injury at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi next month before playing another tournament in his buildup to the Australian Open, the world number five said. Nadal struggled with back issues at the start of this year and pulled out of Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics. He last competed in August at the Citi Open in Washington. He announced ahead of the U.S. Open that the injury to his left foot would rule him out for the rest of the year but said on Monday he might return at the Dec. 16-18 Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition event. "My plan is to play Abu Dhabi in December and a tournament before playing the Australian Open. It is my goal and we are working hard to make it that way," Nadal said at a sponsor event in Paris. "I don`t know exactly when I`ll be back, but I can say that my goal is to try to come back to Abu Dhabi in December, and then, of course, for the start of the new season in January. "The injury in my foot still needs to get a little better, but I`m already training almost an hour and a half a day so that`s positive." World number 12 Dominic Thiem, who has not played since suffering a wrist injury at the Mallorca Open in June, will also return to competitive tennis in Abu Dhabi. Organisers confirmed the 2020 U.S. Open champion`s participation with Casper Ruud, Denis Shapovalov, Emma Raducanu and Tokyo Olympics singles champion Belinda Bencic also named for the event. Nadal will be bidding for a men`s record 21st major title at the Australian Open, which is scheduled to start on Jan. 17. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has said no unvaccinated players would be permitted to play despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison telling local media they could compete but only after undergoing a 14-day quarantine.

Rafael Nadal plans to return at Abu Dhabi exhibition next month

World no.1 Novak Djokovic continues to maintain secrecy over his COVID-19 vaccination status as dark clouds hover over his participation in the Australian Open next year. The Australian Open is all set to be the first Grand Slam of the 2022 season and will get underway in Melbourne on January 17.

Defending champions Djokovic will be entering the tournament as the top seed but he has not confirmed his participation yet owing to the COVID-19 vaccination rules for the players. While the organisers are yet to release an official statement confirming if unvaccinated players will be allowed to take part in the competition, Djokovic has remained tight-lipped on his vaccination status.

Djokovic had faced the heat earlier when he had said he was against taking the COVID-19 vaccine despite having contracted the infection before. The world no.1 said he will be taking the final call after the officials at the Australian Open have announced the rules regarding the vaccination of the players for participation.

“Well, I’m going to decide on whether I go to Australia or not after I see the official statement from Tennis Australia,” Djokovic said ahead of his Paris Masters opener.

“Right now, we don’t have any official announcement or statement. So until that’s out, I won’t be talking about this anymore, because I don’t want to be part of the stories about the assumptions and what-ifs.

“When official condition requirements to travel to Australia and play in Australia are out, then obviously I’ll see what I personally do with that, and also the bigger group of the players, you know, because the situation is obviously different in Australia than most parts of the world," he added.

Djokovic is not the only among top payers who have cast doubts over their Australian Open participation as world number two Daniil Medvedev has also refused to share his vaccination status. “I am willing to play in Australia, but I won't say if you will see me there in January," Medvedev recently told reporters.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/gautam-gambhir-takes-a-dig-at-virat-kohli-reacting-to-everything-doesnt-mean-you-are-more-passionate-425844">Gambhir takes a dig at Virat Kohli: Reacting to everything doesn't mean you are more passionate</a>

Earlier in October, Australia's&nbsp;Minister for Immigration, Alex Hawke had said Djokovic will not be allowed to defend his title at the Australian Open unless he is fully vaccinated.

"You’ll need to be double vaccinated to visit Australia. That’s a universal application, not just to tennis players. I mean that every visitor to Australia will need to be double vaccinated," Hawk had said.

World no.1 Novak Djokovic continues to maintain secrecy over his COVID-19 vaccination status as dark clouds hover over his participation in the Australian Open next year.

World no.1 Novak Djokovic continues to maintain secrecy over his COVID-19 vaccination status as dark clouds hover over his participation in the Australian Open next year. The Australian Open is all set to be the first Grand Slam of the 2022 season and will get underway in Melbourne on January 17. Defending champions Djokovic will be entering the tournament as the top seed but he has not confirmed his participation yet owing to the COVID-19 vaccination rules for the players. While the organisers are yet to release an official statement confirming if unvaccinated players will be allowed to take part in the competition, Djokovic has remained tight-lipped on his vaccination status. Djokovic had faced the heat earlier when he had said he was against taking the COVID-19 vaccine despite having contracted the infection before. The world no.1 said he will be taking the final call after the officials at the Australian Open have announced the rules regarding the vaccination of the players for participation. “Well, I’m going to decide on whether I go to Australia or not after I see the official statement from Tennis Australia,” Djokovic said ahead of his Paris Masters opener. “Right now, we don’t have any official announcement or statement. So until that’s out, I won’t be talking about this anymore, because I don’t want to be part of the stories about the assumptions and what-ifs. “When official condition requirements to travel to Australia and play in Australia are out, then obviously I’ll see what I personally do with that, and also the bigger group of the players, you know, because the situation is obviously different in Australia than most parts of the world," he added. Djokovic is not the only among top payers who have cast doubts over their Australian Open participation as world number two Daniil Medvedev has also refused to share his vaccination status. “I am willing to play in Australia, but I won't say if you will see me there in January," Medvedev recently told reporters. Also Read: Gambhir takes a dig at Virat Kohli: Reacting to everything doesn't mean you are more passionate Earlier in October, Australia's Minister for Immigration, Alex Hawke had said Djokovic will not be allowed to defend his title at the Australian Open unless he is fully vaccinated. "You’ll need to be double vaccinated to visit Australia. That’s a universal application, not just to tennis players. I mean that every visitor to Australia will need to be double vaccinated," Hawk had said.

Novak Djokovic refuses to clarify COVID-19 vaccine status amid uncertainity over Australian Open participation

The sporting fraternity have plenty of superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Lewis Hamilton, Mithali Raj, Ellyse Perry, etc. All the superstars from the world of sports have immense fan-following worldwide. In today's day and age, it has become a common trend where fans of a particular team, or player, make fanpages on social media platforms and often troll other players, or teams. This leads to fan-wars on social media even though the reality might be absolutely different among the star athletes.&nbsp;

The biggest example on how to remain fierce and competitive on field, or court, and have each other's backs outside the playing arena has been projected by tennis greats Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. While Federer came into the scene before the other two, Nadal and Djokovic also rose to fame with their aggressive style of play. While Federer remains a class act, Nadal is a powerhouse and makes the most of his strengths. On the other hand, Djokovic has equalled with Nadal and Federer in terms of most Grand Slam titles (20 each). While the trio remain the heartthrob of the tennis fraternity, there isn't much to separate among the famed trio. Nonetheless, the equation between them remains exemplary, giving a fine example of how rivals should conduct themselves off the court.&nbsp;

Here's a video which captures some of the best moments among the trio -- Federer, Nadal and Djokovic

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2FKyd7Gy1cY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/swiss-maestro-roger-federer-calls-for-evolution-in-player-media-relationship-416418ac">Swiss maestro Roger Federer calls for evolution in player-media relationship</a>

The competition between them remains as fierce as it was few years back. Nonetheless, they never shy away from complimenting each other on their personal milestones. When Djokovic won the 2021 Wimbledon title, both Federer and Nadal showered praise on the Serbian great.&nbsp;

Federer tweeted saying, "Congrats Novak on your 20th major. I'm proud to have the opportunity to play in a special era of tennis champions. Wonderful performance, well done!"

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Congrats Novak on your 20th major. I'm proud to have the opportunity to play in a special era of tennis champions. Wonderful performance, well done!
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) <a href="https://twitter.com/rogerfederer/status/1414267818992885765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, Nadal also posted saying, "Congrats&nbsp;@DjokerNole on this amazing achievement. 20 Grand Slam titles is huge and it is amazing that we are 3 players tied on this. Well done and, again, congrats to you and your team for this!@Wimbledon"

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Congrats <a href="https://twitter.com/DjokerNole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DjokerNole</a> on this amazing achievement. 20 Grand Slam titles is huge and it is amazing that we are 3 players tied on this. Well done and, again, congrats to you and your team for this!<a href="https://twitter.com/Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Wimbledon</a>
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) <a href="https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal/status/1414319614474035203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tennis-rafael-nadal-battles-to-victory-in-return-from-two-month-layoff-403010">Tennis: Rafael Nadal battles to victory in return from two-month layoff</a>

On the other hand, Djokovic paid tribute to the two greats in the post-match presentation and said, "I have to pay a great tribute to Rafa and Roger. They are legends of our sport and the two most important players I faced in my career. They're the reason I am where I am today. They have helped me realise what I need to do to grow stronger mentally and physically and tactically. When I broke into the top 10 for the first time, I lost for the 3-4 years most of the big matches I played against these two guys and then something changed in 2010 and 2011."

The year 2021 ends with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer all tied at 20 Grand Slam titles each. While the race remains as fierce as ever among the trio on who will get to the record 21st Grand Slam title, the equation among the three stands out; giving a message to fans and acting as a source of inspiration.

The sporting fraternity have plenty of superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Lewis Hamilton, Mithali Raj, Ellyse Perry, etc.

The sporting fraternity have plenty of superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Lewis Hamilton, Mithali Raj, Ellyse Perry, etc. All the superstars from the world of sports have immense fan-following worldwide. In today's day and age, it has become a common trend where fans of a particular team, or player, make fanpages on social media platforms and often troll other players, or teams. This leads to fan-wars on social media even though the reality might be absolutely different among the star athletes. The biggest example on how to remain fierce and competitive on field, or court, and have each other's backs outside the playing arena has been projected by tennis greats Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. While Federer came into the scene before the other two, Nadal and Djokovic also rose to fame with their aggressive style of play. While Federer remains a class act, Nadal is a powerhouse and makes the most of his strengths. On the other hand, Djokovic has equalled with Nadal and Federer in terms of most Grand Slam titles (20 each). While the trio remain the heartthrob of the tennis fraternity, there isn't much to separate among the famed trio. Nonetheless, the equation between them remains exemplary, giving a fine example of how rivals should conduct themselves off the court. Here's a video which captures some of the best moments among the trio -- Federer, Nadal and Djokovic × ALSO READ | Swiss maestro Roger Federer calls for evolution in player-media relationship The competition between them remains as fierce as it was few years back. Nonetheless, they never shy away from complimenting each other on their personal milestones. When Djokovic won the 2021 Wimbledon title, both Federer and Nadal showered praise on the Serbian great. Federer tweeted saying, "Congrats Novak on your 20th major. I'm proud to have the opportunity to play in a special era of tennis champions. Wonderful performance, well done!" Congrats Novak on your 20th major. I'm proud to have the opportunity to play in a special era of tennis champions. Wonderful performance, well done! — Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) July 11, 2021 × Meanwhile, Nadal also posted saying, "Congrats @DjokerNole on this amazing achievement. 20 Grand Slam titles is huge and it is amazing that we are 3 players tied on this. Well done and, again, congrats to you and your team for this!@Wimbledon" Congrats @DjokerNole on this amazing achievement. 20 Grand Slam titles is huge and it is amazing that we are 3 players tied on this. Well done and, again, congrats to you and your team for this!@Wimbledon — Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) July 11, 2021 × ALSO READ | Tennis: Rafael Nadal battles to victory in return from two-month layoff On the other hand, Djokovic paid tribute to the two greats in the post-match presentation and said, "I have to pay a great tribute to Rafa and Roger. They are legends of our sport and the two most important players I faced in my career. They're the reason I am where I am today. They have helped me realise what I need to do to grow stronger mentally and physically and tactically. When I broke into the top 10 for the first time, I lost for the 3-4 years most of the big matches I played against these two guys and then something changed in 2010 and 2011." The year 2021 ends with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer all tied at 20 Grand Slam titles each. While the race remains as fierce as ever among the trio on who will get to the record 21st Grand Slam title, the equation among the three stands out; giving a message to fans and acting as a source of inspiration.

WATCH: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic's equations make fan-club fights seem meaningless

U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu had to work hard for her first win on the WTA Tour after her fairytale New York triumph as she recovered from a set down to beat world number 124 Polona Hercog 4-6 7-5 6-1 in the Transylvania Open in Romania on Tuesday. Raducanu announced herself on the grandest stage when she claimed the Flushing Meadows title as a qualifier last month, but the 18-year-old Briton lost to Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in straight sets at Indian Wells.

Still without a coach after parting ways with former Davis Cup player Andrew Richardson and having skipped the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, world number 23 Raducanu had sought to temper the expectations but showed her class in a difficult match.

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She surrendered the opening set tamely after being 4-1 up before showing glimpses of the fighting character that marked her maiden major success to draw level at one-set apiece. With the momentum going her way, Raducanu raised her level by a notch and roared to 5-0 in the deciding set, winning 77% of her first serve points to close out the victory in Cluj-Napoca.

"Polona`s a great opponent, and she`s really experienced, so I really had to fight hard to pull that one through," Raducanu said of the 30-year-old Slovenian. "I thought that by the end of the third set I was playing some better tennis and the most important thing was I earned another opportunity to go and play better in my next round." 
"It feels like a huge win, to be honest. It`s actually my first WTA win, which makes me very, very happy." 
Raducanu will next take on home favourite Ana Bogdan.

U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu had to work hard for her first win on the WTA Tour after her fairytale New York triumph as she recovered from a set down to beat world number 124 Polona Hercog 4-6 7-5 6-1 in the Transylvania Open in Romania on Tuesday.

U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu had to work hard for her first win on the WTA Tour after her fairytale New York triumph as she recovered from a set down to beat world number 124 Polona Hercog 4-6 7-5 6-1 in the Transylvania Open in Romania on Tuesday. Raducanu announced herself on the grandest stage when she claimed the Flushing Meadows title as a qualifier last month, but the 18-year-old Briton lost to Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in straight sets at Indian Wells. Still without a coach after parting ways with former Davis Cup player Andrew Richardson and having skipped the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, world number 23 Raducanu had sought to temper the expectations but showed her class in a difficult match. ALSO READ | ATP Rankings: Roger Federer slips four positions to 15th, Jannik Sinner moves to career-high 11th spot She surrendered the opening set tamely after being 4-1 up before showing glimpses of the fighting character that marked her maiden major success to draw level at one-set apiece. With the momentum going her way, Raducanu raised her level by a notch and roared to 5-0 in the deciding set, winning 77% of her first serve points to close out the victory in Cluj-Napoca. "Polona`s a great opponent, and she`s really experienced, so I really had to fight hard to pull that one through," Raducanu said of the 30-year-old Slovenian. "I thought that by the end of the third set I was playing some better tennis and the most important thing was I earned another opportunity to go and play better in my next round." "It feels like a huge win, to be honest. It`s actually my first WTA win, which makes me very, very happy." Raducanu will next take on home favourite Ana Bogdan.

Teen sensation Emma Raducanu battles past Polona Hercog to secure first WTA Tour win

Unvaccinated athletes will be able to take part in next year`s Australian Open after undergoing 14 days of quarantine, the WTA Tour has told its players, according to an email leaked to U.S. media. The email, obtained by freelance tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, contradicts a statement made last week by Australia`s immigration minister that players would need to be double vaccinated to get a visa to compete at the Grand Slam. A significant proportion of players on the women`s WTA and men's ATP tour remain unvaccinated, and men`s world number one Novak Djokovic has declined to disclose his vaccination status.

In the email, the WTA said it wanted to "clear up false and misleading information" about the conditions players would face at the Australian Open. The WTA said the information came from organisers Tennis Australia, who had requested players keep it confidential for "a few days" as they were still discussing the details with the government. 
Tennis Australia declined to comment on arrangements for unvaccinated players, including quarantine. "We are optimistic that we can hold the Australian Open as close to pre-pandemic conditions as possible,” the governing body said in a statement.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/no-special-deals-to-allow-unvaccinated-players-at-australian-open-says-official-421971">No special deals to allow unvaccinated players at Australian Open, says Official</a>

All players who arrived from overseas for the 2021 edition of the Australian Open had to undergo two weeks of quarantine, although most were allowed to leave their hotels to practise. Victoria state sports minister Martin Pakula said authorities were still deciding whether unvaccinated foreign players would be allowed into the country. He did not expect a decision for another couple of weeks.

“It’s not settled," he told radio station 3AW. “We are still resolving with Tennis Australia and the Commonwealth whether unvaccinated foreign nationals will be allowed into Australia at all and if so, under what circumstances they will be allowed." Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said last week there would be no special deals for unvaccinated players to compete in the state, where vaccination is mandatory for athletes, coaches and officials in professional sport.

Pakula said TA boss Craig Tiley had told him the vaccination rate among tennis players was nearly 80%. 
He confirmed fully vaccinated players would not have to quarantine on arrival in Australia. "The one thing that we have assured them all, is that the vaccinated players will be treated the same way as any other vaccinated entrant to the country," he said. From Nov. 1, fully vaccinated citizens and permanent residents and their overseas-based family members who arrive in Sydney and Melbourne will no longer need to quarantine. The WTA email said Australian Open qualifying, which was moved to the United Arab Emirates for the 2021 tournament, would take place at Melbourne Park as normal.

The WTA declined to comment. The Australian Open is scheduled to start on Jan. 17.

Unvaccinated athletes will be able to take part in next year`s Australian Open after undergoing 14 days of quarantine, the WTA Tour has told its players, according to an email leaked to U.

Unvaccinated athletes will be able to take part in next year`s Australian Open after undergoing 14 days of quarantine, the WTA Tour has told its players, according to an email leaked to U.S. media. The email, obtained by freelance tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, contradicts a statement made last week by Australia`s immigration minister that players would need to be double vaccinated to get a visa to compete at the Grand Slam. A significant proportion of players on the women`s WTA and men's ATP tour remain unvaccinated, and men`s world number one Novak Djokovic has declined to disclose his vaccination status. In the email, the WTA said it wanted to "clear up false and misleading information" about the conditions players would face at the Australian Open. The WTA said the information came from organisers Tennis Australia, who had requested players keep it confidential for "a few days" as they were still discussing the details with the government. Tennis Australia declined to comment on arrangements for unvaccinated players, including quarantine. "We are optimistic that we can hold the Australian Open as close to pre-pandemic conditions as possible,” the governing body said in a statement. ALSO READ | No special deals to allow unvaccinated players at Australian Open, says Official All players who arrived from overseas for the 2021 edition of the Australian Open had to undergo two weeks of quarantine, although most were allowed to leave their hotels to practise. Victoria state sports minister Martin Pakula said authorities were still deciding whether unvaccinated foreign players would be allowed into the country. He did not expect a decision for another couple of weeks. “It’s not settled," he told radio station 3AW. “We are still resolving with Tennis Australia and the Commonwealth whether unvaccinated foreign nationals will be allowed into Australia at all and if so, under what circumstances they will be allowed." Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said last week there would be no special deals for unvaccinated players to compete in the state, where vaccination is mandatory for athletes, coaches and officials in professional sport. Pakula said TA boss Craig Tiley had told him the vaccination rate among tennis players was nearly 80%. He confirmed fully vaccinated players would not have to quarantine on arrival in Australia. "The one thing that we have assured them all, is that the vaccinated players will be treated the same way as any other vaccinated entrant to the country," he said. From Nov. 1, fully vaccinated citizens and permanent residents and their overseas-based family members who arrive in Sydney and Melbourne will no longer need to quarantine. The WTA email said Australian Open qualifying, which was moved to the United Arab Emirates for the 2021 tournament, would take place at Melbourne Park as normal. The WTA declined to comment. The Australian Open is scheduled to start on Jan. 17.

Unvaccinated players can compete at Australian Open after quarantine: Report

Australia`s Victoria state will not do special deals with unvaccinated athletes to allow them to compete at major events, an official said on Tuesday, putting Novak Djokovic`s Australian Open title defence and bid for the Grand Slam record in doubt.

World number one Djokovic, level on 20 Grand Slam titles with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, declined to reveal his vaccination status again this week and said he was unsure if he would defend his Australian Open crown as authorities work out COVID-19 restrictions for the tournament.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said he opposed special arrangements to let unvaccinated athletes compete in the state, which is scheduled to host the Grand Slam at Melbourne Park in January.

"On the question of vaccination, no," he told a media briefing.

"(The virus) doesn`t care what your tennis ranking is, or how many Grand Slams you`ve won. It`s completely irrelevant. You need to be vaccinated to keep yourself safe and to keep others safe."

Tennis Australia, which organises the Grand Slam, declined to comment. Victoria, which is due to exit a near three-month lockdown this week, recently included professional athletes in a vaccine mandate covering millions of "authorised workers", without clarifying whether it applied to athletes from overseas or other Australian states.

Andrews suggested the mandate covered international athletes, too. "Professional sport is part of those (items on the) authorised worker list and they have to be double-dose vaccinated," he said.

Andrews said Victoria`s stance could be a "moot point", given the federal government might not issue visas to unvaccinated athletes.

"I don`t think an unvaccinated tennis player is going to get a visa to come into this country and if they did get a visa they`d probably have to quarantine for a couple of weeks," he added.

"I don`t think that the person you indicated (Djokovic) or any other tennis player, let`s not personalise it ... or golfer or Formula One driver will even get a visa to get here.

"If I`m wrong I`m sure the federal government will let you know."

The federal government`s home affairs department was not able to provide immediate comment. Australia`s borders have been shut to non-residents through the pandemic, although authorities have issued visas to athletes and sports staff for major events, including the last Australian Open in February.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government would relax border controls for residents and their overseas-based family members from next month but international tourists and other visa classes would have to wait longer. 
Melbourne, Australia`s second-largest city, has been locked down since August as authorities scrambled to contain an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant.

Restrictions for the city`s 5 million people will be eased from Friday when 70% of the adult population in Victoria is expected to be fully vaccinated.

Unvaccinated people, however, will remain barred from sports events along with restaurants, pubs and other parts of the economy. Andrews said the ban on unvaccinated fans may apply right through to the 2022 Formula One Australian Grand Prix in April.

"This is here for a while .... We`re not going to be essentially encouraging people to not get vaccinated because they reckon they can wait a few months or a few weeks," he said.

"You can`t wait out coronavirus."

Australia`s Victoria state will not do special deals with unvaccinated athletes to allow them to compete at major events, an official said on Tuesday, putting Novak Djokovic`s Australian Open title defence and bid for the Grand Slam record in doubt.

Australia`s Victoria state will not do special deals with unvaccinated athletes to allow them to compete at major events, an official said on Tuesday, putting Novak Djokovic`s Australian Open title defence and bid for the Grand Slam record in doubt. World number one Djokovic, level on 20 Grand Slam titles with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, declined to reveal his vaccination status again this week and said he was unsure if he would defend his Australian Open crown as authorities work out COVID-19 restrictions for the tournament. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said he opposed special arrangements to let unvaccinated athletes compete in the state, which is scheduled to host the Grand Slam at Melbourne Park in January. "On the question of vaccination, no," he told a media briefing. "(The virus) doesn`t care what your tennis ranking is, or how many Grand Slams you`ve won. It`s completely irrelevant. You need to be vaccinated to keep yourself safe and to keep others safe." Tennis Australia, which organises the Grand Slam, declined to comment. Victoria, which is due to exit a near three-month lockdown this week, recently included professional athletes in a vaccine mandate covering millions of "authorised workers", without clarifying whether it applied to athletes from overseas or other Australian states. Andrews suggested the mandate covered international athletes, too. "Professional sport is part of those (items on the) authorised worker list and they have to be double-dose vaccinated," he said. Andrews said Victoria`s stance could be a "moot point", given the federal government might not issue visas to unvaccinated athletes. "I don`t think an unvaccinated tennis player is going to get a visa to come into this country and if they did get a visa they`d probably have to quarantine for a couple of weeks," he added. "I don`t think that the person you indicated (Djokovic) or any other tennis player, let`s not personalise it ... or golfer or Formula One driver will even get a visa to get here. "If I`m wrong I`m sure the federal government will let you know." The federal government`s home affairs department was not able to provide immediate comment. Australia`s borders have been shut to non-residents through the pandemic, although authorities have issued visas to athletes and sports staff for major events, including the last Australian Open in February. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government would relax border controls for residents and their overseas-based family members from next month but international tourists and other visa classes would have to wait longer. Melbourne, Australia`s second-largest city, has been locked down since August as authorities scrambled to contain an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant. Restrictions for the city`s 5 million people will be eased from Friday when 70% of the adult population in Victoria is expected to be fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated people, however, will remain barred from sports events along with restaurants, pubs and other parts of the economy. Andrews said the ban on unvaccinated fans may apply right through to the 2022 Formula One Australian Grand Prix in April. "This is here for a while .... We`re not going to be essentially encouraging people to not get vaccinated because they reckon they can wait a few months or a few weeks," he said. "You can`t wait out coronavirus."

No special deals to allow unvaccinated players at Australian Open, says Official

Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal has been honoured at a ceremony in Mallorca for the help he provided Sant Llorenc des Cardassar in October 2018 after torrential rain and flash flooding devastated the town. 
 
The storms resulted in the death of 13 people and led to more than 200 people fleeing, with hundreds of homes and businesses swamped with dirty water that reached levels of two metres, according atptour.com on Friday evening.

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Nadal spent hours helping volunteers to clean up the area and opened up rooms at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar for those who needed refuge. The 35-year-old also provided a donation of one million euros through his foundation. 
 
Now, the 20-time major champion, who ended the 2021 season early due to a foot injury and did not compete at the US Open, has been given the title 'adopted son'&nbsp;by the city council of Sant Llorenc des Cardassar in recognition of his support.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/indian-wells-rohan-bopanna-denis-shapovalov-bow-out-after-losing-to-andrey-rublev-aslan-karatsev-in-quarters-421013">Indian Wells: Rohan Bopanna-Denis Shapovalov bow out after losing to Andrey Rublev-Aslan Karatsev in quarters</a>

Nadal has not competed since he reached the third round in Washington in August. The world No. 6 underwent treatment on the injury in September. 
 
Speaking at the ceremony on Friday evening, Nadal stated he was unsure of when he will return to match action but is working hard and following a specific daily plan with clear goals.

Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal has been honoured at a ceremony in Mallorca for the help he provided Sant Llorenc des Cardassar in October 2018 after torrential rain and flash flooding devastated the town.

Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal has been honoured at a ceremony in Mallorca for the help he provided Sant Llorenc des Cardassar in October 2018 after torrential rain and flash flooding devastated the town. The storms resulted in the death of 13 people and led to more than 200 people fleeing, with hundreds of homes and businesses swamped with dirty water that reached levels of two metres, according atptour.com on Friday evening. ALSO READ: Tunisia's Ons Jabeur to become first Arab player to crack top 10 after reaching Indian Wells semi-finals Nadal spent hours helping volunteers to clean up the area and opened up rooms at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar for those who needed refuge. The 35-year-old also provided a donation of one million euros through his foundation. Now, the 20-time major champion, who ended the 2021 season early due to a foot injury and did not compete at the US Open, has been given the title 'adopted son' by the city council of Sant Llorenc des Cardassar in recognition of his support. ALSO READ: Indian Wells: Rohan Bopanna-Denis Shapovalov bow out after losing to Andrey Rublev-Aslan Karatsev in quarters Nadal has not competed since he reached the third round in Washington in August. The world No. 6 underwent treatment on the injury in September. Speaking at the ceremony on Friday evening, Nadal stated he was unsure of when he will return to match action but is working hard and following a specific daily plan with clear goals.

Rafael Nadal becomes 'adopted son' of flood-ravaged Spanish town

Ons Jabeur will become the first Arab player to crack the top 10 of the world rankings after reaching the Indian Wells semi-finals on Thursday and the Tunisian said she is just getting started.

Jabeur, currently ranked 14th, reached the final of the Chicago Fall Tennis Classic earlier this month and became the first Arab player to win a WTA title at the Birmingham Classic in June.

The 27-year-old defeated Estonia`s Anett Kontaveit 7-5 6-3 in Thursday`s quarter-final in the California desert, converting five of her 12 break-point chances on the way to her 48th match win of the season, the most of any player on the Tour this season.

"Like this is a dream coming true. This is something that I`ve been wanting... when I was 16," Jabeur said.

"Top 10 is the beginning. I know I deserve this place for a long time since I was playing well. But I want to prove that I deserve to be here."

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Jabeur, who will face Spain`s Paula Badosa in her first WTA 1000 semi-final on Friday, said she faced many obstacles in her career because of her background.

"I`ve been rejected by sponsors because of where I come from, which is so not fair," she said. "I didn`t understand why before, I accepted it. I am really proud of the person I became today, just not relying on others.

"Everybody probably had a difficult career. I`m not saying I have the most difficult one.

"I didn`t want to depend on a sponsor or someone who doesn`t even care about tennis or sport in general. It gave me the courage to continue and achieve my goals, and I`m in top 10 today."

Ons Jabeur will become the first Arab player to crack the top 10 of the world rankings after reaching the Indian Wells semi-finals on Thursday and the Tunisian said she is just getting started.

Ons Jabeur will become the first Arab player to crack the top 10 of the world rankings after reaching the Indian Wells semi-finals on Thursday and the Tunisian said she is just getting started. Jabeur, currently ranked 14th, reached the final of the Chicago Fall Tennis Classic earlier this month and became the first Arab player to win a WTA title at the Birmingham Classic in June. The 27-year-old defeated Estonia`s Anett Kontaveit 7-5 6-3 in Thursday`s quarter-final in the California desert, converting five of her 12 break-point chances on the way to her 48th match win of the season, the most of any player on the Tour this season. "Like this is a dream coming true. This is something that I`ve been wanting... when I was 16," Jabeur said. "Top 10 is the beginning. I know I deserve this place for a long time since I was playing well. But I want to prove that I deserve to be here." ALSO READ: US Open stars fall at Indian Wells, which struggles to draw a crowd Jabeur, who will face Spain`s Paula Badosa in her first WTA 1000 semi-final on Friday, said she faced many obstacles in her career because of her background. "I`ve been rejected by sponsors because of where I come from, which is so not fair," she said. "I didn`t understand why before, I accepted it. I am really proud of the person I became today, just not relying on others. "Everybody probably had a difficult career. I`m not saying I have the most difficult one. "I didn`t want to depend on a sponsor or someone who doesn`t even care about tennis or sport in general. It gave me the courage to continue and achieve my goals, and I`m in top 10 today."

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur to become first Arab player to crack top 10 after reaching Indian Wells semi-finals

Andy Murray expects unvaccinated players to compete at the Australian Open but says he would support moves by local authorities to impose stricter conditions on them at Melbourne Park than those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Victoria sports minister Martin Pakula said on Tuesday that players planning to compete at the first Grand Slam of the year should get vaccinated to give themselves the best chance of competing in Melbourne.

Tennis Australia has declined to comment on arrangements for players based on their vaccination status.

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However, vaccinated players are expected to given more freedom to move around and may also be able to skip the country`s mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival.

"My understanding is if you're unvaccinated you're still allowed to play, it's just the rules are going to be different," Murray told a news conference after Tuesday`s third-round Indian Wells defeat by Alexander Zverev.

"You might just have to leave (for Australia) a few weeks earlier than everyone else. That`s the player`s choice. If the local government puts that in place then I would support that.

"It would be great if more players got vaccinated.

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"Australia in particular has been very, very strict over there. The public there have had to endure a painful 18 months or whatever.

"If people are going to come into the country and potentially risk an outbreak in their community, yeah, that`s understandable."

World number four Zverev, who in April said he had not been vaccinated, did not want to be stuck in the middle of the debate.

"I fully respect the decisions of players that are not vaccinated. I also do respect the decision that the Australian government is giving," he said.

"I don't want to be in the middle of something which I kind of am not involved in because I don`t have that issue of the two-week quarantine, all that. I don't want to go against anybody here."

The Australian Open is due to start on Jan. 17.

Andy Murray expects unvaccinated players to compete at the Australian Open but says he would support moves by local authorities to impose stricter conditions on them at Melbourne Park than those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Andy Murray expects unvaccinated players to compete at the Australian Open but says he would support moves by local authorities to impose stricter conditions on them at Melbourne Park than those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Victoria sports minister Martin Pakula said on Tuesday that players planning to compete at the first Grand Slam of the year should get vaccinated to give themselves the best chance of competing in Melbourne. Tennis Australia has declined to comment on arrangements for players based on their vaccination status. ALSO READ: Daniil Medvedev overcomes Filip Krajinovic to set up Dimitrov clash at Indian Wells However, vaccinated players are expected to given more freedom to move around and may also be able to skip the country`s mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival. "My understanding is if you're unvaccinated you're still allowed to play, it's just the rules are going to be different," Murray told a news conference after Tuesday`s third-round Indian Wells defeat by Alexander Zverev. "You might just have to leave (for Australia) a few weeks earlier than everyone else. That`s the player`s choice. If the local government puts that in place then I would support that. "It would be great if more players got vaccinated. ALSO READ: Lost and found: Andy Murray's wedding ring remains in headline as he reaches second round at Indian Wells "Australia in particular has been very, very strict over there. The public there have had to endure a painful 18 months or whatever. "If people are going to come into the country and potentially risk an outbreak in their community, yeah, that`s understandable." World number four Zverev, who in April said he had not been vaccinated, did not want to be stuck in the middle of the debate. "I fully respect the decisions of players that are not vaccinated. I also do respect the decision that the Australian government is giving," he said. "I don't want to be in the middle of something which I kind of am not involved in because I don`t have that issue of the two-week quarantine, all that. I don't want to go against anybody here." The Australian Open is due to start on Jan. 17.

Andy Murray says will support restrictions on unvaccinated players at Australian Open

Tennis players planning to compete in the Australian Open at Melbourne Park should get vaccinated for COVID-19 to give themselves the best chance of playing the Grand Slam, an Australian government official has said.

Victoria state, of which Melbourne is the capital, has introduced a vaccine mandate for all professional athletes but authorities have yet to clarify whether athletes from overseas or other Australian states must also vaccinate. 
Victoria sports minister Martin Pakula urged players to leave no room for doubt.

"If I was an ATP or WTA player, I`d be getting vaccinated," Pakula told local radio station SEN.

"That will give them the best opportunity to play in the Australian Open with the more minimal restrictions that might be in place for those people."

Both the women`s WTA and men`s ATP tours have urged players to get vaccinated but some have expressed reservations, including Australian Open men`s champion Novak Djokovic, who is opposed to vaccine mandates.

Tennis Australia, which organises the Grand Slam, has not disclosed any arrangements for players for the upcoming tournament in January.

But fully vaccinated players are expected to enjoy more freedoms to move around and may be able to avoid the country`s mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival.

Australia`s borders remain effectively shut to non-residents, and Pakula said he did not know whether unvaccinated people would be allowed to enter the country by the time of the Australian Open which starts Jan. 17.

"That`s going to be the subject, I suspect, of discussion at national cabinet and amongst the federal cabinet," he said.

"As for the rules that might apply around the Australian Open, specifically, we`re in discussions with Tennis Australia and the department of health about that."

Melbourne has been locked down for months as authorities battle to control an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant while rolling out vaccinations.

Victoria will lift some lockdown restrictions when 70% of adults are fully vaccinated, which should be late October according to official projections.

Tennis players planning to compete in the Australian Open at Melbourne Park should get vaccinated for COVID-19 to give themselves the best chance of playing the Grand Slam, an Australian government official has said.

Tennis players planning to compete in the Australian Open at Melbourne Park should get vaccinated for COVID-19 to give themselves the best chance of playing the Grand Slam, an Australian government official has said. Victoria state, of which Melbourne is the capital, has introduced a vaccine mandate for all professional athletes but authorities have yet to clarify whether athletes from overseas or other Australian states must also vaccinate. Victoria sports minister Martin Pakula urged players to leave no room for doubt. "If I was an ATP or WTA player, I`d be getting vaccinated," Pakula told local radio station SEN. "That will give them the best opportunity to play in the Australian Open with the more minimal restrictions that might be in place for those people." Both the women`s WTA and men`s ATP tours have urged players to get vaccinated but some have expressed reservations, including Australian Open men`s champion Novak Djokovic, who is opposed to vaccine mandates. Tennis Australia, which organises the Grand Slam, has not disclosed any arrangements for players for the upcoming tournament in January. But fully vaccinated players are expected to enjoy more freedoms to move around and may be able to avoid the country`s mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival. Australia`s borders remain effectively shut to non-residents, and Pakula said he did not know whether unvaccinated people would be allowed to enter the country by the time of the Australian Open which starts Jan. 17. "That`s going to be the subject, I suspect, of discussion at national cabinet and amongst the federal cabinet," he said. "As for the rules that might apply around the Australian Open, specifically, we`re in discussions with Tennis Australia and the department of health about that." Melbourne has been locked down for months as authorities battle to control an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant while rolling out vaccinations. Victoria will lift some lockdown restrictions when 70% of adults are fully vaccinated, which should be late October according to official projections.

Get vaccinated if you want to play Australian Open, minister tells players

U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev reached the fourth round at Indian Wells with a 6-2 7-6(1) victory over Serbia`s Filip Krajinovic on Monday and said he was pleased to reach 50 wins this season.

The top-seeded Russian took to the court following a long rain delay and wasted no time in showing the kind of form that earned him a maiden Grand Slam title last month, going 4-0 up before taking the opening set.

Krajinovic fought back in the second set to lead 4-2 before Medvedev found his groove to force a tie-break, which he dominated to claim the win.

"I feel like I`m trying to play a little bit less ... just playing the biggest tournaments, or the ones that will get me back into shape," Medvedev said.

"So I`m really happy that I managed to get 50 (wins). It means I was doing pretty good in a lot of them.

"Filip is a really tough opponent. He`s always playing top tennis, tough matches, especially that second set. There were a lot of ups and downs, but a great level from both."

Up next for world number two Medvedev is Grigor Dimitrov, who beat American Reilly Opelka 6-3 6-4 earlier in the day. 
Medvedev`s compatriot Andrey Rublev lost 6-4 3-6 7-5 to American Tommy Paul.

U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev reached the fourth round at Indian Wells with a 6-2 7-6(1) victory over Serbia`s Filip Krajinovic on Monday and said he was pleased to reach 50 wins this season.

U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev reached the fourth round at Indian Wells with a 6-2 7-6(1) victory over Serbia`s Filip Krajinovic on Monday and said he was pleased to reach 50 wins this season. The top-seeded Russian took to the court following a long rain delay and wasted no time in showing the kind of form that earned him a maiden Grand Slam title last month, going 4-0 up before taking the opening set. Krajinovic fought back in the second set to lead 4-2 before Medvedev found his groove to force a tie-break, which he dominated to claim the win. "I feel like I`m trying to play a little bit less ... just playing the biggest tournaments, or the ones that will get me back into shape," Medvedev said. "So I`m really happy that I managed to get 50 (wins). It means I was doing pretty good in a lot of them. "Filip is a really tough opponent. He`s always playing top tennis, tough matches, especially that second set. There were a lot of ups and downs, but a great level from both." Up next for world number two Medvedev is Grigor Dimitrov, who beat American Reilly Opelka 6-3 6-4 earlier in the day. Medvedev`s compatriot Andrey Rublev lost 6-4 3-6 7-5 to American Tommy Paul.

Daniil Medvedev overcomes Filip Krajinovic to set up Dimitrov clash at Indian Wells

World No.100 Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus ended Emma Raducanu`s 10-match winning streak on Saturday (IST), defeating the reigning US Open champion 6-2, 6-4 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open here. Sasnovich will face 2015 champion Simona Halep of the US for a spot in the Round of 16 on Sunday. 
 
Coming into the second-round duel, Raducanu was riding a 10-match winning streak from her historic title run at the US Open, where she reeled off 20 consecutive sets through qualifying and the main draw to become the first British woman to win a major since Virginia Wade in 1977. In contrast, Sasnovich, who reached a career-high No.30 in 2018, had just one top-50 victory in a completed match this season. 
 
Yet despite her sub-par 2021 season, the Belarusian has a proven track record of being a seed-slaying danger in the early rounds of big events. The 27-year-old had already notched 15 top-20 wins in her career, including victories over Petra Kvitova at 2018 Wimbledon, Elina Svitolina at 2018 Brisbane, and Karolina Pliskova at 2016 Tokyo. 
 
"I saw a few matches of her when she played US Open and Wimbledon as well," Sasnovich told wtatennis.com. "She`s really a talented girl. She has a strong forehand, backhand. She tries to be always aggressive." 
 
"It was a really good match for me. I play really well. I know she just won US Open. I lost there in the first round. So, a little bit different. But I tried to go on court, I tried to enjoy. I did everything right and I`m happy with the result, of course." 
 
Raducanu started the match right where she left off in New York, reeling off the first six points with top-notch tennis. With both players looking to play offensive tennis, Sasnovich weathered the early surge and began to find consistent depth off the baseline. The Belarusian broke first to open up a 3-1 lead and broke the Raducanu serve again for a 5-2 lead, closing the opening set after 30 minutes. 
 
No.7 seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic moved into the third round of the BNP Paribas Open for the seventh time in her career with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands. 
 
In the first meeting between the two veteran left-handers, Kvitova weathered a closely-contested patch in the early second set to earn a comprehensive victory in an hour and 16 minutes. 
 
Kvitova swept to an initial 4-0 lead and claimed the first set in half an hour, but world No.68 Rus picked up her play as the second set started. 
 
Kvitova used her devastating forehand return to obtain a critical break for 3-2 in the second set, and the Czech charged to the win from there, picking off the last five games of the match. 
 
Kvitova will next face No.27 seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, in an intriguing face-off between two-time Grand Slam champions. Kvitova leads the head-to-head 5-3. 
&nbsp;

World No.100 Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus ended Emma Raducanu`s 10-match winning streak on Saturday (IST), defeating the reigning US Open champion 6-2, 6-4 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open here.

World No.100 Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus ended Emma Raducanu`s 10-match winning streak on Saturday (IST), defeating the reigning US Open champion 6-2, 6-4 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open here. Sasnovich will face 2015 champion Simona Halep of the US for a spot in the Round of 16 on Sunday. Coming into the second-round duel, Raducanu was riding a 10-match winning streak from her historic title run at the US Open, where she reeled off 20 consecutive sets through qualifying and the main draw to become the first British woman to win a major since Virginia Wade in 1977. In contrast, Sasnovich, who reached a career-high No.30 in 2018, had just one top-50 victory in a completed match this season. Yet despite her sub-par 2021 season, the Belarusian has a proven track record of being a seed-slaying danger in the early rounds of big events. The 27-year-old had already notched 15 top-20 wins in her career, including victories over Petra Kvitova at 2018 Wimbledon, Elina Svitolina at 2018 Brisbane, and Karolina Pliskova at 2016 Tokyo. "I saw a few matches of her when she played US Open and Wimbledon as well," Sasnovich told wtatennis.com. "She`s really a talented girl. She has a strong forehand, backhand. She tries to be always aggressive." "It was a really good match for me. I play really well. I know she just won US Open. I lost there in the first round. So, a little bit different. But I tried to go on court, I tried to enjoy. I did everything right and I`m happy with the result, of course." Raducanu started the match right where she left off in New York, reeling off the first six points with top-notch tennis. With both players looking to play offensive tennis, Sasnovich weathered the early surge and began to find consistent depth off the baseline. The Belarusian broke first to open up a 3-1 lead and broke the Raducanu serve again for a 5-2 lead, closing the opening set after 30 minutes. No.7 seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic moved into the third round of the BNP Paribas Open for the seventh time in her career with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands. In the first meeting between the two veteran left-handers, Kvitova weathered a closely-contested patch in the early second set to earn a comprehensive victory in an hour and 16 minutes. Kvitova swept to an initial 4-0 lead and claimed the first set in half an hour, but world No.68 Rus picked up her play as the second set started. Kvitova used her devastating forehand return to obtain a critical break for 3-2 in the second set, and the Czech charged to the win from there, picking off the last five games of the match. Kvitova will next face No.27 seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, in an intriguing face-off between two-time Grand Slam champions. Kvitova leads the head-to-head 5-3.

US Open champion Emma Raducanu sent packing by world No. 100 at Indian Wells

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELT) CEO said she was proud that her organisation rarely speaks out on pressing issues of the day and added there was no chance whatsoever of a "behind the scenes" documentary on the Wimbledon Championships.

Sally Bolton, who last year became the AELTC's first female CEO after a career that has also encompassed rugby league, rugby union and athletics, found herself as a panelist at the Leaders Week sport business conference justifying Wimbledon's famed reluctance to speak about any issue beyond Wimbledon.

"We spend a lot of time not having a view on things," Bolton told an audience of business leaders at Twickenham Stadium.

"On pretty much any issue we are getting a phone call asking what's Wimbledon's position on it. The reality is we don't have a position on most things because it's not for us to comment and you have to be very careful.

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"We do often talk about issues and consider whether Wimbledon should be more forthright," she added.

"Wimbledon is still often described as the 'highly secretive All England Club'. In a way for a reason as we (previously) literally never commented on anything.

"To a large extent people don't know who the CEO is - and that's a good thing. I don't want to be the story."

Other than its annual announcement of prize money, a routine promise to invest profits in the development of British tennis, the ticket ballot, and bright pieces of news about how many strawberries have been sold, Wimbledon is usually tight-lipped.

"The issue you have to be mindful of is when Wimbledon has a view on something it grabs a headline and that's a precious thing to protect because it means you can influence things," Bolton said.

"Around environmental sustainability we want to use our voice to influence but we also have to be mindful that people want our voice in lots of debates and we have to pick and choose which ones we want to be in."

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Bolton shared the stage with BBC Director-General Tim Davie, who asked Bolton about the mystery and aura surrounding Wimbledon.

"There is a live debate because when you have an event like The Championships there is a lot of mystique about it," she said.

"If people could see the ugliness of the scramble to put an event on, its not pretty, the mystique ... it should look like it should happen by magic."

Davie's subsequent suggestion that the Championships could become the next subject for the sort of behind the scenes TV shows that shone a light on the likes of Manchester City and the Australia cricket team was dismissed by Bolton.

Then, after listening to Davie explain that increasing transparency was one of his driving forces at the BBC, Bolton left the stage and declined to speak to reporters at the event.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELT) CEO said she was proud that her organisation rarely speaks out on pressing issues of the day and added there was no chance whatsoever of a "behind the scenes" documentary on the Wimbledon Championships.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELT) CEO said she was proud that her organisation rarely speaks out on pressing issues of the day and added there was no chance whatsoever of a "behind the scenes" documentary on the Wimbledon Championships. Sally Bolton, who last year became the AELTC's first female CEO after a career that has also encompassed rugby league, rugby union and athletics, found herself as a panelist at the Leaders Week sport business conference justifying Wimbledon's famed reluctance to speak about any issue beyond Wimbledon. "We spend a lot of time not having a view on things," Bolton told an audience of business leaders at Twickenham Stadium. "On pretty much any issue we are getting a phone call asking what's Wimbledon's position on it. The reality is we don't have a position on most things because it's not for us to comment and you have to be very careful. ALSO READ: Watch: She said yes! Deepak Chahar's Bollywood-like proposal to girlfriend during IPL match is ADORABLE "We do often talk about issues and consider whether Wimbledon should be more forthright," she added. "Wimbledon is still often described as the 'highly secretive All England Club'. In a way for a reason as we (previously) literally never commented on anything. "To a large extent people don't know who the CEO is - and that's a good thing. I don't want to be the story." Other than its annual announcement of prize money, a routine promise to invest profits in the development of British tennis, the ticket ballot, and bright pieces of news about how many strawberries have been sold, Wimbledon is usually tight-lipped. "The issue you have to be mindful of is when Wimbledon has a view on something it grabs a headline and that's a precious thing to protect because it means you can influence things," Bolton said. "Around environmental sustainability we want to use our voice to influence but we also have to be mindful that people want our voice in lots of debates and we have to pick and choose which ones we want to be in." ALSO READ: England Cricket Board Chairman Ian Watmore steps down with immediate effect Bolton shared the stage with BBC Director-General Tim Davie, who asked Bolton about the mystery and aura surrounding Wimbledon. "There is a live debate because when you have an event like The Championships there is a lot of mystique about it," she said. "If people could see the ugliness of the scramble to put an event on, its not pretty, the mystique ... it should look like it should happen by magic." Davie's subsequent suggestion that the Championships could become the next subject for the sort of behind the scenes TV shows that shone a light on the likes of Manchester City and the Australia cricket team was dismissed by Bolton. Then, after listening to Davie explain that increasing transparency was one of his driving forces at the BBC, Bolton left the stage and declined to speak to reporters at the event.

'Quiet please': Wimbledon proud to stay silent on issues, says CEO Sally Bolton

The relationship between tennis players and the media needs to evolve and the sport must also do more to help the younger generation deal with negative comments on social media, Roger Federer said. The issue of players` mental health came into the spotlight after Japan`s Naomi Osaka withdrew&nbsp;from the French Open in a row with tournament officials over media duties.

Osaka said she had been suffering from depression and anxiety and that interacting with the media had sometimes had a negative impact on her. Federer, who shares the men`s record of 20 major titles with Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, said the situation needed a rethink.

"I think players, the tournaments, journalists, we need to sit down together in a room and go, "OK, what would work for you and what works for us ..." Federer told the British GQ magazine on Monday. "We need a revolution. Or at least an evolution of where we are today.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/roger-federer-feels-worst-is-behind-him-after-knee-surgery-but-not-rushing-return-to-court-416171">Roger Federer feels worst is behind him after knee surgery but not rushing return to court</a>

"Even when I am feeling down I know I need to act a certain way in front of the world`s press. We need to remember that tennis players are athletes and professionals, but we are also human too." The 40-year-old Swiss, who is recovering. Raducanu had previously come in for criticism from pundits and the media when she pulled out of her Wimbledon last-16 match due to breathing difficulties, with some saying she had failed to handle the pressure. 
"I was following Emma Raducanu`s incredible run in Wimbledon and also Naomi Osaka these last few years – it`s been amazing, both of their stories," he said.

"But it hurts when you see what happens and when they don`t feel well. "I think we do need to help, coach and mentor the younger generation more. I can`t imagine going through the beginning of my career with social media," he added. "For every 10 nice comments there`s always one negative comment and, of course, that is the one you focus on. It’s a horrible situation."

The relationship between tennis players and the media needs to evolve and the sport must also do more to help the younger generation deal with negative comments on social media, Roger Federer said.

The relationship between tennis players and the media needs to evolve and the sport must also do more to help the younger generation deal with negative comments on social media, Roger Federer said. The issue of players` mental health came into the spotlight after Japan`s Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open in a row with tournament officials over media duties. Osaka said she had been suffering from depression and anxiety and that interacting with the media had sometimes had a negative impact on her. Federer, who shares the men`s record of 20 major titles with Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, said the situation needed a rethink. "I think players, the tournaments, journalists, we need to sit down together in a room and go, "OK, what would work for you and what works for us ..." Federer told the British GQ magazine on Monday. "We need a revolution. Or at least an evolution of where we are today. ALSO READ | Roger Federer feels worst is behind him after knee surgery but not rushing return to court "Even when I am feeling down I know I need to act a certain way in front of the world`s press. We need to remember that tennis players are athletes and professionals, but we are also human too." The 40-year-old Swiss, who is recovering. Raducanu had previously come in for criticism from pundits and the media when she pulled out of her Wimbledon last-16 match due to breathing difficulties, with some saying she had failed to handle the pressure. "I was following Emma Raducanu`s incredible run in Wimbledon and also Naomi Osaka these last few years – it`s been amazing, both of their stories," he said. "But it hurts when you see what happens and when they don`t feel well. "I think we do need to help, coach and mentor the younger generation more. I can`t imagine going through the beginning of my career with social media," he added. "For every 10 nice comments there`s always one negative comment and, of course, that is the one you focus on. It’s a horrible situation."

Swiss maestro Roger Federer calls for evolution in player-media relationship

Star Indian tennis player Sania Mirza won her first title of the season as she and her Chinese partner Shuai Zhang beat the pair of Kaitlyn Christian and Erin Routliffe in the women's doubles final of the Ostrava Open here on Sunday.

The second-seeded Indo-Chinese duo defeated the third-seeded pair of American Christian and New Zealander Routliffe 6-3 6-2 in the summit clash in one hour and four minutes.

The 34-year-old Sania and Zhang had defeated the Japanese pair 6-2 7-5 in the semifinals of the WTA 500 event. 
It was Sania's second final of the season, following a runner-up finish at the WTA 250 Cleveland event in the USA last month with Christina Mchale.&nbsp;

Star Indian tennis player Sania Mirza won her first title of the season as she and her Chinese partner Shuai Zhang beat the pair of Kaitlyn Christian and Erin Routliffe in the women's doubles final of the Ostrava Open here on Sunday.

Star Indian tennis player Sania Mirza won her first title of the season as she and her Chinese partner Shuai Zhang beat the pair of Kaitlyn Christian and Erin Routliffe in the women's doubles final of the Ostrava Open here on Sunday. The second-seeded Indo-Chinese duo defeated the third-seeded pair of American Christian and New Zealander Routliffe 6-3 6-2 in the summit clash in one hour and four minutes. The 34-year-old Sania and Zhang had defeated the Japanese pair 6-2 7-5 in the semifinals of the WTA 500 event. It was Sania's second final of the season, following a runner-up finish at the WTA 250 Cleveland event in the USA last month with Christina Mchale.

Ostrava Open: Sania Mirza wins doubles final with Shuai Zhang to clinch first title of 2021 season

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