Former tennis player Jelena Dokic tells the National Press Club about her experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD and an eating disorder and says that in sport, 'silence was golden' – and this silence could lead to death. As a victim of domestic violence herself, Dokic argues that having open conversation about stigmatised topics is an antidote to this. 'Vulnerability is a superpower. We have been taught so often that vulnerability is a weakness, a massive weakness. But in fact, to be vulnerable takes so much guts and courage,' says Dokic
Continue reading...Raducanu hires renowned fitness coach who worked with Sharapova and Osaka
- British player adds Yutaka Nakamura to her team
- ‘I can become one of the best athletes in tennis’
Emma Raducanu believes she can fulfil her potential of becoming one of the best athletes in her sport after hiring the esteemed strength and conditioning coach Yutaka Nakamura on a full-time basis before the 2025 season.
“I think he is going to help me just really explore how far I can go athletically,” said Raducanu. “It’s a big strength of mine that I have nowhere near fulfilled. I think I can become one of the best athletes out there in tennis and I’m just looking forward to seeing how much I can do. And I think he’s really going to help with that. The way I’m working with him and Nick [Cavaday, her coach], it’s a lot more integrated.”
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Continue reading...Nick Kyrgios will be in Australian Open draw with No 21 ranking
- Fans favourite is one of 10 Australian men in main draw
- Olivia Gadecki is the only direct women’s entrant
Fan favourite Nick Kyrgios will play his first grand slam tournament since 2022 at the Australian Open in January.
Organisers announced on Friday that Kyrgios, who has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, will use a protected ranking of No 21 to gain entry to the main draw.
Continue reading...Neale Fraser, Australian tennis great and Davis Cup captain, dies aged 91
- Fraser oversaw four Davis Cup triumphs between 1973 and 1986
- He won three grand slam singles and 16 doubles titles as a player
Australian tennis is mourning the loss of legendary player and Davis Cup captain Neale Fraser AO, MBE. Fraser, who won 19 grand slam titles, has died aged 91.
For all his grand slam glory, Fraser’s name will forever be associated with the Davis Cup both as a player and in a record-setting run as Australian captain.
Continue reading...Jack Draper: ‘A lot of good things have come from trying to be a better man’
British men’s No 1 reflects on his best year on tour, including a first slam semi-final but also some controversy
Deep inside the Vienna Ice Skating Club, an enormous ice rink temporarily adapted into indoor tennis courts in October, Jack Draper was hard at work before one of his final tournaments of the season. His sparring partner for the day was Frances Tiafoe, a fellow top-20 player well known for his humour even in the searing heat of battle. As they toiled through practice sets, the American kept on reacting to their spectacular winners by glancing down the court, each time trying to catch his opponent’s eye so that he could crack another joke.
Draper, however, had other priorities. The British No 1 was completely locked in, focused only on extracting the best out of himself in their limited time on court. He played some brutal, attacking tennis in the process and after an hour of great intensity, their practice ended with Draper leading by a set.
Continue reading...Novak Djokovic admits Andy Murray did not expect coaching call
- Serb wanted someone who had played at the very top
- Djokovic confident he is still fit enough to win more slams
Novak Djokovic has revealed Andy Murray was caught off guard when asked to be his new coach, but feels the link-up can only be good for tennis.
Murray retired after this summer’s Olympics at the age of 37 after finally admitting defeat in his battle against injury. It had been suggested the Scot would one day return to tennis and become a coach, due to his love of the sport, hard work and tactical acumen.
Continue reading...Halep hits out at ‘difference’ in anti-doping cases after one-month Swiatek ban
- Halep was given four-year ban in 2022, later reduced
- World No 2 Swiatek given one-month ban for violation
Simona Halep questioned the “big difference” in how doping cases are treated after world No 2 Iga Swiatek was handed a one-month drugs ban while the Romanian was out of action for more than 18 months following two separate anti-doping violations.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Thursday that Swiatek had accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ).
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Continue reading...Why has Iga Swiatek been banned and how serious is the offence?
World No 2 received a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine
Continue reading...‘I was shocked’: Iga Swiatek explains positive trimetazidine result – video
Iga Swiatek, the world No 2 women’s tennis player, has spoken out following the International Tennis Integrity Agency's announcement that she would receive a one-month ban after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine. In a video statement posted on Instagram Swiatek said: 'It was a blow for me, I was shocked and this whole situation made me very anxious,' as she explained that a batch of her melatonin, which she takes for jet lag and sleep issues, had been contaminated. The ITIA has accepted that Swiatek’s positive doping test had been caused by her contaminated medication.
Continue reading...Iga Swiatek accepts one-month ban after testing positive for trimetazidine
- World No 2 deemed her level of fault ‘at the lowest end’
- Pole’s medication for jet lag and sleep was contaminated
Iga Swiatek, the world No 2 women’s tennis player, has received a one month ban after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) in August 2024.
In a statement on Thursday, the International Tennis Integrity Agency, which governs the tennis anti-doping programme, ruled that Swiatek’s anti-doping rule violation was not intentional and that she bore no significant fault or negligence for the positive test on “the lowest end of the range” and they imposed a one month ban.
Continue reading...‘Nightmare’: Juan Martín del Potro lives with daily pain after tennis career
- US Open champion’s career was scarred by injury
- Argentinian will face Novak Djokovic in farewell match
Former US Open champion Juan Martín del Potro has detailed the toll injuries took on his career and the pain he still experiences.
The 36-year-old’s last professional tournament came in February 2022 at the Argentina Open, when he hinted his career was over after a first-round loss. He had not played in the three years before that after fracturing his knee at Queen’s in 2019.
Continue reading...Jannik Sinner’s biggest opponent is off the court after astounding rise to the top | Tumaini Carayol
Italian has enjoyed a sublime 2024 on tour but Wada’s appeal after he was cleared over two positive doping tests looms ahead
At the end of the 2023 tennis season, as Jannik Sinner had elevated his game to new heights and his Italy team to their first Davis Cup title in 46 years, there was one comparison to note. Thirteen years earlier, Novak Djokovic had found his way after a difficult period by winning the Davis Cup, a victory that provided a platform for one of the greatest tennis seasons in 2011 and the start of his decade-plus reign.
Sinner’s first triumph for Italy at the Davis Cup has similarly preceded a staggering breakout season and, one year on, he ends 2024 as by far the best and most consistent tennis player in the world.
Continue reading...Jannik Sinner ‘proud’ to secure Italy’s second consecutive Davis Cup victory – video
Jannik Sinner clinched Italy’s second consecutive Davis Cup title and capped his breakthrough season at the top of tennis by beating Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (2), 6-2 to complete a 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the final of the team competition. Sinner said he was 'proud of the whole team' and spoke of the competition's importance to Italy.
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