Daniil Medvedev too celebrated his rise to second in the world with a seamless entry into the Miami Open on Friday, trouncing Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun in less than an hour. Russia’s Medvedev needed just 56 minutes to subdue Lu 6-2, 6-2, firing nine aces with just one double fault as he advanced to a third-round meeting with Australian Alexei Popyrin, a 6-4, 6-2, winner over 30th-seeded American Reilly Opelka.

On the other hand, Alexander Zverev suffered a shock exit at the hands of 83rd-ranked Finn Emil Ruusuvuori 1-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Naomi Osaka’s minor tumble-

Osaka acknowledged she was feeling some nerves in her first match since she lifted her fourth Grand Slam title in Melbourne.

“I would say what I’m most proud of today, just being able to handle my nerves,” she said.

Also read:Medvedev Rising-The Russian phenomenon ousts Nadal from top 2

That was a bigger problem than the gusty wind on Grandstand Court at Hard Rock Stadium, where 77th-ranked Tomljanovic twice went up a break in the opening set but despite an impressive display of power was eventually undone by 24 unforced errors.

Thirteen aces among her 36 winners helped Osaka overcome a slew of unforced errors of her own and set up a third-round meeting with Serbian qualifier Nina Stojanovic, who surprised Yulia Putintseva, the 26th seed from Kazakhstan, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.

Serving into the sun in the final game, Osaka clunked her shot off the lip of her racket, blooping the ball past an astonished Tomljanović.

“That was actually kind of funny when I got past my frustration,” Osaka said. “The sun was like on top of a cloud, and it gave off this really weird glare effect.”

“It was kind of my fault for being stubborn and not trying to catch my toss and wait it out,” she added.

Medvedev’s might in Miami-

Medvedev, the top seed in an ATP Masters event for the first time, was all over Lu from the opening game.

He belted 24 winners to become the second player — along with compatriot Andrey Rublev — to reach 15 match wins this year.

Medvedev also recently became the first player outside the “Big Four” of Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray to rank second in the world since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005.

But he’s already looking for more.

“The only thing I feel like when you reach something you haven’t done then straight away it doesn’t matter and you want to go further and further,” he said. “I think it’s the same for everybody. “

“I’m happy about my achievement but only trying to improve every day and want to go further.”

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Stanislas Wawrinka has for the most part of his career been the quintessential underdog. On the national stage, his hard-hitting style was overshadowed by Federer’s artistic beauty. On the international stage,it was the “Big-four” into whom he constantly ran into in the latter stages of Grand slams. Not to mention the constantly reoccurring knee and back injuries throughout his illustrious career.

And yet again, just when it seemed that Wawrinka was getting back to his best, another injury has come to the fore to halt his progress. Chances are that the beloved Swiss would be out of action for the next 5 to 6 weeks and thus missing on the buildup tournaments to the clay season.

Wawrinka’s Woes continue-

Wawrinka underwent knee surgery following his last ATP title in 2017 and had trouble with injuries through 2018, during which his ranking fell to 263. He is currently ranked 21st.

Also read:Medvedev Rising-The Russian phenomenon ousts Nadal from top 2

Wawrinka lost in the Australian Open second round last month before losing in the last-32 at Rotterdam and Doha earlier this month.

However, he seemed to be getting back into rhythm for one final push before hanging his tennis shoes.

But, Wawrinka said Thursday that he would be out “for a few weeks,” with the French Open starting May 23. He won at Roland Garros in 2015.

“After having some problems in my left foot for a while, I have decided to do a small procedure on it,” Wawrinka wrote on his social media accounts.

“I will be out for a few weeks, but can’t wait to start practising again soon.“he added.

Miami Open updates-

Top seed Daniil Medvedev will begin his campaign against Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun in the second round of the Miami Masters tonight.

British teenager Jack Draper’s ATP Tour debut ended abruptly after he collapsed on court during his first round match at the Miami Open against Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin on Thursday.

The sunny, humid and hot conditions on Court 2 appeared to have taken a toll on the 19-year-old wildcard during the first set which lasted 81 minutes. With Kukushkin leading the set 6-5, Draper appeared distressed and he had his heart-rate checked courtside by medical staff before deciding to continue.

However,his return was short lived as Draper collappsed yet again and eventually choosing to retire.

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As Wimbledon noted in a statement, given the current circumstances, the most plausible scenario is that the tournament is played with a small number of spectators.

There are also talks of having the entire tournament in a bio bubble akin to the one at the Australian Open.

No queue,no on-site sales at Wimbledon 2021-

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also known as the All England Club has announced a slew of measures to keep the July event Covid-secure to ensure it goes ahead after being cancelled last year due to the pandemic. It was the first time the tournament was cancelled since the Second World War.

One of the most iconic sights of British sport – the queue at Wimbledon tennis – will not feature in this year’s tournament.

What the Club has officially termed “The Queue” has become a much-loved feature of July in SW19, when thousands queue overnight in makeshift shelters in a nearby golf course to bag the few hundred tickets released for the show courts each day, or to buy general entry tickets to watch play on the outside courts.

Also read:From Basel to Tokyo: Federer eyes the 2021 Olympics as a final hurrah!

Another much-loved feature of the Wimbledon championships – the public ballot for tickets – will also not take place this year. Instead, tickets will be sold online from June, when a final decision will be made on daily admission numbers in line with current Government advice on major sports gatherings.

Fans who received tickets on the ballot for the canceled 2020 will be given priority this time around, with the remaining allocation to go on sale online from June.

Audience but with reduced capacity-

As Wimbledon also noted in a statement, given the current circumstances, the most plausible scenario is that the tournament is played with a small number of spectators.

“However, we are working to be as flexible as possible and be able to respond to last-minute changes that allow us to increase or reduce capacity., before and during the two weeks that the tournament lasts, “said the organization.

“For this reason, we want to make sure that we can leave the decision on public capacity until as late as possible, to be able to accommodate the largest number of people “.

This year, the Wimbledon tournament kicks off on June 28, a week after the UK, if all goes according to plan, lifts restrictions by the covid.

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And in a first for years, the NextGen sensation has entered the top 2 of ATP rankings just behind the evergreen Novak Djokovic. The last time that a member outside of the big 4 occupied a top spot was way back in 2005 when the erstwhile great  Lleyton Hewitt occupied the 2nd spot. Interestingly, it was Rafael Nadal who had dethroned Hewitt and now Medvedev has dethroned Nadal to complete the circle.

This perhaps also signals that after years of delay and countless false dawns,there finally seems to be a contender who takes the baton forwards in men’s tennis.

A breakthrough year for Medvedev-

 The 25-year-old Russian, who was beaten by world number one Novak Djokovic in this year’s Australian Open final, was elevated to second thanks to his win in the final of the Marseille tournament on Sunday. His 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 victory against Pierre-Hugues Herbert made him just the fifth player to occupy the number two spot in the 16 years since July 2005

Also read:From Basel to Tokyo: Federer eyes the 2021 Olympics as a final hurrah!.

Apart from Djokovic and Nadal, only Roger Federer and Andy Murray have held the position in that time.

“I am really happy. I knew that I would become No. 2 no matter what on Monday,” said Medvedev after the fantastic achievement.

“It is always better when you step up the rankings when you do something great,” he added

As of now, the Russian base-liner owns a 14-2 record in 2021, and has won 23 of his last 25 matches, besides achieving the 2nd spot.

ATP rankings as of March 15:

1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 12008 pts

2. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 9940 (+1)

3. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9670 (-1)

4. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 8625

5. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 6765

6. Roger Federer (SUI) 6375

7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 5635

8. Andrey Rublev (RUS) 5011

9. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 3640

10. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 3453

Legends on Medvedev’s epic rise-

The journey had started for Medvedev,much earlier.It was the US Open final of 2019 when the talented Russian announced himself on the biggest of stages.

And while the win may have been Nadal’s the praise was there for medvedev.

“The way that he fought, the way that he played, is a champion’s way,” Nadal told the gathered media that evening.

That ‘champion’s way’ has paid off for Medvedev. 

“He’s just so solid,” observed Novak Djokovic, who’s thrice been on the losing end against Medvedev, but who last Monday become the longest-reigning World No. 1 in FedEx ATP Rankings history [read immersive tribute]. “I heard Jim Courier calling him a master chess player because of the way he tactically positions himself on the court, and it’s true. He’s definitely a very smart tennis player.”

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Novak Djokovic has been a name that has eternally been overshadowed by his more liked rivals in Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. From hostile crowds at the US Open to boos by his fellow players, from deeply probing press conferences to continuously created controversies, the Serbian sensation has been bruised, booed and berated.

But, Novak represents a champion. A champion who may not be as liked or admired but is nevertheless perhaps the greatest of greats. And that champion is just a day away from breaking Roger Federer’s long-standing record of most weeks as World number 1.

“Now I am going to focus mainly on the grand slams” says Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic will on Monday set a new landmark of 311 weeks as world number one, surpassing Roger Federer whose hold on a record-equalling 20 Grand Slam titles is now firmly in the Serb’s sights. The 33-year-old Djokovic, already the winner of 18 majors, has time on his side with Federer turning 40 in August. He is also a year younger than Rafael Nadal who also has 20 majors. 

“Now that I’ve become the historic No.1, I’m relieved,” said Djokovic after sweeping to a ninth Australian Open last month which guaranteed his extended stay at the top.

“Now, I’m going to be able to focus mainly on the Grand Slams.“

Also read:The King is back! Roger Federer excited to return to tennis in Doha

Djokovic reclaimed the top ranking from Nadal in February 2020 and finished as year-end number one for the sixth time, tying the mark set by Pete Sampras.

Coincidentally, the day of Novak’s new record falls on March 8th, International Women’s day and the Serb took the opportunity to thank the amazing women who have been a part of his life.

“That’s right, I can break the record for March 8. If that happens, I will dedicate it to my mother and wife,”  the 33-year-old had said in an earlier interview last year.

A look at Novak’s schedule for the coming year-

World number one Novak Djokovic has said he will return to the court at this month’s Miami Open having recuperated from a muscle tear suffered during his Australian Open title defence.

From Miami, where he has won six titles, Djokovic will head to Monaco for the Monte-Carlo Masters, running from April 11-18, before returning home to Belgrade for the ATP 250 Serbia Open.

The Tour is returning to Belgrade for the first time since 2012, and the Serbia Open will be held at Djokovic’s tennis center from April 19-25, which may well be his last tournament before the clay season.

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Last year’s tournament was switched unilaterally from spring to September-October as the coronavirus sent the sport into a five-month suspension.

When the clay court showpiece was eventually staged, health protocols saw a daily limit of only 1,000 fans allowed onto the Roland Garros site.

French Open 2021-Working on maximizing the spectators limit

“Our desire is to be able, in accordance with the decisions of the government and with the extremely ambitious and rigorous application of a very well-crafted health protocol, to organise Roland Garros on the dates scheduled, from 17 May to 6 June (qualifying included),” said Amelie Oudea-Castera, the French Tennis Federation’s (FFT) new director-general.

Also read:A smile gone viral: Naomi Osaka and the AO 2021 ball girl story

“With the highest possible number of spectators which will be allowed by the authorities.”

She added: “We are working on different scenarios. No idea is taboo, we want to achieve the best compromise between sports and health.

“The objective is to maximise the limit with regard to what the circulation of the virus and the progress of vaccinations will allow us to do.”

The French Open authorities would also be taking a leaf out of the Australian open organisers book,who were able to conduct a largely succesful grand slam event albeit with a few minor blips.

The Australian open saw strict quarantine protocols and even those were not enouh with a few covid positive cases occuuring inspite of the precautions.However,nearly all the matches saw a 50 percent attendance,except for a brief period in which there was a lockdown in Melbourne.

Rafa gearing up for the clay season

Rafael Nadal has a chance at a record-extending 14th French Open and record-breaking 21st Grand Slam. The clay-court season will always be at the heart of Rafael Nadal’s schedule until he retires, and this year is no different. Nadal had to pull out of Rotterdam 2021 with a back injury and will not play in Acapulco.

Otherwise, we can expect a similar line-up to previous Nadal campaigns as long as he remains fit. There is one addition of the Olympics in which the 2008 gold-medallist Spaniard has expressed interest. The Spaniard would love to repeat the 2008 feat in what may well be 34-year old’s last Olympics.

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The Naomi Osaka story has all the makings of a tale for the ages.After all who doesn’t love an underdog.She has talent,she has grit,she has determination and now she is showing yet another side of her personality.

A picture of Naomi Osaka with an Australian Open ball girl is nowadays going viral on social media after the Japanese-born tennis sensation herself tweeted the now uncountable times shared pic.

“It was very special,” says the ball kid on Naomi’s gesture

Osaka won her second title at Melbourne Park when she defeated Jennifer Brady last Saturday night.

Reflecting on the triumph with a slideshow of photos from the match, Osaka couldn’t help but spot a delightful detail in one shot.

She shared the photo on Twitter Monday that captured the ball girl with a big smile on her face while watching Osaka from behind at Rod Laver Arena after the latter won the match point.

The ball girl was identified by the Herald Sun as a 16-year-old local who was given one more year at the Australian Open when COVID-19 restrictions stopped the tournament from training up new volunteers.

Also read:“Miles to go”: Djokovic warns the Next Gen about the challenge from “Big Three”

Marle said she first received word of the viral tweet when she checked her phone at school on Thursday.

“It was very special – no player ever does that,” she told the newspaper.

“I was with my friends at lunch and saw the link. Mum just sent me the link to the Twitter post she made and I clicked on it and was pretty shocked”Marle concluded.

Osaka and Rafa nominated for Laureus Award 2021-

Capping off a hugely successful year for him, Spanish tennis champion Rafael Nadal has been nominated for the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards 2021. This is the sixth nomination for Nadal who won the ‘Sportsman of the Year’ award back in 2011 when he reached 3 out of 4 Grand Slam finals (won the French Open, runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open) that year.

Naomi Osaka also earned her first nomination in the ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ category at the Laureus World Sports Awards 2021. The 23-year-old has previously won the ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ title in 2019.

If she wins, Osaka will follow in the footsteps of 4-time winner Serena Williams. Also joining Osaka and Nadal will be US Open 2020 and French Open 2020 champions Dominic Thiem and Iga Swiatek who have been nominated in the ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ category.

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Never before in the history of the sport, let alone in tennis have three GOATS been plying their trades at the same time, and while “the Big Three” may now be in the twilight of their respective careers, Novak claims that they are in no mood to relinquish their claim on trophies, something that the trio has made their monopoly in the past 2 decades.

Novak Djokovic in particular seems extremely excited about the coming times with Federer’s record of most number of weeks as number 1 soon to be broken by the Serb as well the record for most Grand slams now within a touching distance.

 “I have a lot left in me,’ says Djokovic

Djokovic set out two career goals for himself last year, to surpass Roger Federer for the most weeks at world number one and win more Grand Slams than any other man in history.

Also read:Australian open 2021 – Djokovic crushes mighty Medvedev to win record-extending ninth title

On March 8, he will achieve the first of those goals, and he says the reason for him reducing his schedule is nothing to do with tiredness.

“Age is just a number, so I don’t feel tired or exhausted from playing tennis, competing at the highest level,” said Novak after a record ninth Australian Open title

“I know that, realistically, things are not the same as they were 10 years ago in terms of energy and biology and everything.

“But I feel like I still have a lot of gas in me. Hopefully, I will be able to win more majors, that’s something that I’ll definitely look forward to as a priority.”

On Federer and Rafa-

“Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal inspire me. That’s something that I’ve said before, I’ll say it again. I think as long as they go, I’ll go,” Novak Djokovic said.

“In a way it’s like a race [of] who plays tennis more, I guess, and who wins more. It’s a competition between us in all areas. But I think that’s the very reason why we are who we are, because we do drive each other, we motivate each other, we push each other to the limit.”

With Novak Djokovic already guaranteed to break the all-time record of most weeks at No. 1 in men’s tennis, the Serb reiterated that all his energies will now be focused on the Grand Slam record.

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Be it his on-court antics, his direct confrontations with the sporting GOATS, his seemingly never-ending store of talent, or his panache for drama, the man knows how to stay in the news. Perhaps that is the reason that as of now the biggest tennis news is Nick Kyrgios’s relationship drama when just a day ago Novak Djokovic had won a record ninth Australian open grand slam.

Nick Kyrgios has seemingly parted ways with girlfriend Chiara Passari after the latter shared an extremely explosive Instagram post accusing the Australian tennis star of cheating as well as inflicting mental and domestic abuse.

How Nick Kyrgios’s relationship turned sour-

Nick’s relationship much like his game is a rollercoaster ride that keeps fans guessing of his next move.

Nick and Chiara’s love seemed to be soaring to new heights during this year’s Australian Open.

Nick Kyrgios also posted a sweet message to Passari on a camera lens at the Australian Open, while she gushed about her man in a cute Valentine’s Day post, but the pair have again raised doubt about their relationship after more curious behavior on social media.

For the second time this month deleted posts and cryptic Instagram stories have raised alarm bells about the young couple’s future.

Also read: Australian open 2021 – Djokovic crushes mighty Medvedev to win record-extending ninth title

Three weeks ago Passari uploaded a text image that read: “Cheaters always want you to be loyal while they’re being unfaithful.”

Passari first posted – then deleted – a photo of herself in the stands watching Kyrgios at the Australian Open, captioning it: “Laughing at myself for believing a …” in a pointed barb at the mercurial tennis talent.

The next day, she posted what appears to be a text message conversation between her and 25-year-old Kyrgios, before also deleting that post.

In the first message, Nick Kyrgios wrote: ‘Bye’

K: ‘Hahaha you got a dude there hahahaha’

K: ‘Too good.’

K: ‘You disgust me … haha’

K: ‘Hahahahhaaha’

K: ‘So good’

K: ‘Enjoy your life hshshs’

Passari: ‘You just told me everything without even knowing hahahaha.’

Kyrgios: ‘What?’

K: ‘Haha’

Ms Passari: ‘I’m sorry you hate yourself’

Kyrgios: ‘Goodluck’

K: ‘Be in Canberra the rest of your life you s**t … hahahahaha’

It appears to signal the potential end of a tumultuous relationship that was first confirmed in August of last year.

The end of this relationship marks a particularly sour span of time for Kyrgios after his spat with world Novak Djokovic had turned ugly and while the Australian world number 47 tried to evoke a verbal reaction, Novak had replied with a stunning straight-sets victory in the Australian Open to lift his 18th grand slam.

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A modern-day great in Novak Djokovic on one side with an upcoming star in Daniil Medvedev on the other, along with a hyped-up crowd at the Rod Laver Arena made up for the perfect culmination of the year’s first grand slam.

While Medvedev tried every trick in the book, it was still not enough to stop the Serb from taking his grand slam wins tally to eighteen. Djokovic’s total grand slam sits next to only Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, both of whom have twenty each. The win down under was Novak’s third in the row and a ninth overall Australian Open title, a number none of his contemporaries are even close.

How Novak Djokovic completed his hat-trick of Australian Open wins

The first set saw a tough back-and-forth for every single point. While both Djokovic and Medvedev had the same number of winners, Djokovic had the last laugh, winning the set 7-5. While the Russian banked on his baseline game in the opening salvo, the Serb broke his serve twice. The latter of the two breaks came when the score was 6-5 in the favor of the 33-year-old.

Also read No excuses: Rafael Nadal says quarantine NOT the reason for his Australian Open exit

After losing the first set, it seemed as if Medvedev was trailing massively in the mental battle. Even though he broke the serve of Djokovic, he couldn’t bank upon the same to even the score.

The fact that the game of the 25-year-old lacked the versatility needed to win at the highest of levels didn’t make his case any stronger. Djokovic converted three out of his four breakpoints, thus making it look all too easy with his impeccable stroke play.

Frustrated en route to the straight-set Australian open finals loss, Medvedev smashed one of his racquets as well. The final set of the match looked a minor formality as the world number one won the set 6-2 and eventually the match 7-5,6-2,6-2 in a total of 1 hour and 53 minutes.

“One of the toughest I ever faced” says Novak on Medvedev

Medvedev has been to two grand slam finals so far. However, on both occasions, a member of the modern ‘Big Three’ ended his dreams of lifting the trophy.

“Congratulations to Novak and your team. Nine Australian Open grand slams and 18 in total is an amazing thing and it is probably not your last one,” said Medvedev, in the trophy ceremony.

As a result of his run to the championship match, Medvedev will rise above 2020 runner-up Dominic Thiem to a career-high No. 3 when the latest FedEx ATP Rankings are published on Monday.

On the other hand, Novak also credited his young rival -““On the court, Daniil is one of the toughest players I have ever faced in my life. It’s only a matter of time before you hold a Grand Slam trophy.”

With the win, Djokovic has narrowed the gap between his contemporaries. He can now aim to surpass them as soon as before the year ends.

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