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Djokovic dazzles on return to action at Laver Cup

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Laver Cup – 02 Arena, London, Britain – September 24, 2022 Team Europe’s Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his match against Team World’s Frances Tiafoe Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

Novak Djokovic produced a stunning performance to thrash Frances Tiafoe in his first match since winning Wimbledon in July then teamed up with Matteo Berrettini to put Team Europe in command in the Laver Cup on Saturday.

With Roger Federer watching on from courtside at a sold out O2 Arena, the day after his emotional farewell match alongside Rafa Nadal, Djokovic returned to action in spellbinding fashion.

U.S. Open semi-finalist Tiafoe was helpless to stop the Djokovic onslaught as the Serb won 6-1 6-3 to put Bjorn Borg’s Team Europe into a 6-4 lead overall.

He then joined Berrettini, the man he beat in the 2020 Wimbledon final, to beat Team World duo Jack Sock and Alex De Minaur 7-5 6-2 to give Team Europe an 8-4 lead heading into Sunday’s final four matches.

Individual matches were worth one point on Friday, two on Saturday and three on Sunday. Thirteen points are required to win the trophy.

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After Federer’s memorably tear-jerking final match the previous night, day two could have been an anti-climax but the quality of the tennis, and the presence of the Swiss great on the bench, ensured a superb spectacle.

Berrettini, who replaced 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer for the singles, won a hard-hitting duel against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(11) 4-6 10-7.

But American Taylor Fritz drew Team World level at 4-4 in the day’s second match with a tight win against Briton Cameron Norrie — a stand-in for Nadal who left earlier in the day for personal reasons.

Fritz won 6-1 4-6 10-8 as John McEnroe’s Team World showed that they are made of sterner stuff this year having been trounced 14-1 last year in Boston.

Federer, watching every ball along with the rest of his Team Europe colleagues including Andy Murray, did his best to lift Norrie with some words of wisdom.

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At one point Federer suggested the world number eight should serve and volley, which Norrie promptly did but lost the point as Fritz sent a lob over his head.

“If Roger Federer is telling you to do something, there is no chance I’m not going to do it, especially out there playing for Team Europe,” Norrie said later.

Djokovic’s decision to not have a COVID-19 vaccine meant he was not allowed to play in the U.S. swing and Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz took full advantage to win the U.S. Open and take over as the new world number one.

But Djokovic issued a statement of intent as he picked up where he left off when beating Nick Kyrgios on Wimbledon’s Centre Court to reach 21 Grand Slam titles.

Not even Federer could have improved on a first set in which Djokovic did not drop a point on serve and landed his precision groundstrokes near the lines with relentless regularity.

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Tiafoe went a break down early in the second set but gained some traction to push back hard and had a break point that Djokovic repelled in masterful fashion.

Djokovic then wrapped it up in little more than an hour.

“I haven’t played for a few months so happy to continue the run, it was a pretty decent match from my side, I have to say,” Djokovic said on court.

Djokovic then paid tribute to Federer’s emotional finale the previous night. “It was one of the most beautiful moments we have experienced live or on the tennis courts. We were all taken away by it,” Djokovic said. 

-Reuters

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Players’ association files lawsuit against tennis’ governing bodies

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The PTPA is an independent players' union co-founded by Novak Djokovic in 2019.PHOTO: REUTERS

The Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA) has filed a lawsuit against the sport’s governing bodies, accusing them of anti-competitive practices and a disregard for player welfare.

The PTPA, an independent players’ union co-founded by Novak Djokovic in 2019, said on March 18 that after years of good-faith efforts to reform professional tennis, it had been forced to take legal action to end “monopolistic control” of the sport.

In a statement, it said that along with more than a dozen players, the PTPA had filed papers in a New York court against the ATP Tour, the WTA Tour, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

“Tennis is broken,” said Ahmad Nassar, executive director of the PTPA.

“Behind the glamorous veneer that the defendants promote, players are trapped in an unfair system that exploits their talent, suppresses their earnings, and jeopardises their health and safety.

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“We have exhausted all options for reform through dialogue, and the governing bodies have left us no choice but to seek accountability through the courts. Fixing these systemic failures isn’t about disrupting tennis, it’s about saving it for the generations of players and fans to come.”

In response, the ATP accused the PTPA of choosing “division and distraction” and having no meaningful role in the sport.

“We strongly reject the premise of the PTPA’s claims, believe the case to be entirely without merit, and will vigorously defend our position,” it said in a statement.

“ATP remains committed to working in the best interests of the game – towards continued growth, financial stability, and the best possible future for players, tournaments, and fans.”

The WTA defended its record of growing women’s tennis, describing the lawsuit as “baseless”.

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“Every decision taken at the WTA Board level includes the input of players via their elected Board representatives, and athletes receive substantial financial rewards and other benefits from participation in the WTA,” the organisation said.

The ITF, meanwhile, stressed its goal is to ensure the growth of tennis as a global sport.

“As a not-for-profit organisation and global guardian of the game… we reinvest 90 per cent of our income into the global development of the game, via our 213 member National Associations,” an ITF spokesperson said.

Describing the various governing bodies as a “cartel”, the PTPA, which has also begun legal action in Britain and the EU, accuses them of paying “artificially low compensation to professional tennis players” and imposing a “draconian” ranking system that forces them to compete in certain tournaments.

The lawsuit also calls the schedule unsustainable, says players are made to play in extreme heat and often in the early hours of the morning, that tennis balls chosen by the tournaments are a factor in chronic injuries and that players’ privacy rights are being abused by random drug tests.

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Prior to filing the lawsuit, the PTPA said it met with more than 250 players across the tours, including the majority of the men’s and women’s top 20.

“The overwhelmingly positive player feedback was a resounding confirmation – change is needed now, and players are united in their fight for reform,” the statement added.

Serbia’s 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic has been a fierce advocate for change to the organisation of tennis, insisting that the revenues generated by the sport are not fairly shared out to players.

“Women and men who are around 200 and lower ranked in the world, they are struggling a lot,” he said in a CBS 60 Minutes interview in 2023.

“They can’t afford a coach, they can’t afford travels, they skip tournaments, many of them leave tennis who are super talented and maybe capable of reaching great heights.”

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The ITIA, which manages the sport’s anti-doping and anti-corruption programmes, responded to the lawsuit by saying: “Any credible international sport requires robust anti-doping and anti-corruption programmes, and we are proud of our role in contributing to a clean and fair sport.”

-Reuters

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Sinner, Tennis world No. 1 accepts 3-month doping ban

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Jannik Sinner has accepted a three-month ban from tennis after the world No. 1 admitted team mistakes led to him twice testing positive for traces of banned substance clostebol in March 2024.

The February 9 to May 4 suspension means Sinner will be free to play in the French Open, the second grand slam of the season, which begins on May 25 at Roland Garros.

In a statement, Sinner said that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted that he “had no intent and did not derive any competitive advantage from the two positive tests”.

Australian Open champion Sinner has always said that clostebol entered his system when his physiotherapist used a spray containing it to treat a cut, then provided massage and sports therapy.

“This case had been hanging over me now for nearly a year and the process still had a long time to run with a decision maybe only at the end of the year,” Sinner said.

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“I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realise Wada’s strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love. On that basis I have accepted Wada’s offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a three-month sanction.”

Wada said separately that “Sinner did not intend to cheat” but that he would serve his suspension as he is responsible for the actions of his entourage.

The agreement between Sinner and Wada means that Sinner will be able to play in front of his home fans at the Rome Open which kicks off just after the end of his suspension and is the last big clay court tournament before Roland Garros.

-AFP

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Osaka parts way with her coach

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Naomi Osaka of Japan in action during a match at the U.S. Open in August, 2024. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo 

Naomi Osaka has parted ways with coach Wim Fissette after four years together across two stints, the 26-year-old announced late on Friday.

The former world number one won two of her four Grand Slam titles under the guidance of the Belgian, but is currently 75th in the rankings having returned to the tour nine months ago after a lengthy maternity break.

“Four years, two slams and a whole lot of memories,” Osaka wrote in an Instagram post.

“Thanks Wim for being a great coach and an even greater person. Wishing you all the best.”

Of the 16 tournaments Osaka has played this season, she has made the quarter-finals in only two – Doha and ‘s-Hertogenbosch – and the Japanese player has also failed to go past the second round in each of the four Grand Slams

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-Reuters

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