Tsitsipas Attracts Attention Of YouTube Personality Neistat
Jan242019
Future collaboration to be lined up
Stefanos Tsitsipas may have attracted a legion of new followers for his on-court performances at the 2019 Australian Open, but the Greek star has also proven to be a favourite on social media.
Since beating Roger Federer in the fourth round on Sunday, Tsitsipas’ subscriber count on his YouTube channel has soared to beyond 100,000. Read More
And his channel has attracted the attention of American YouTube personality Casey Neistat, who has more than 10 million followers. Neistat has now called on the 20-year-old #NextGenATP player to collaborate with him, and Peter McKinnon, another popular YouTuber, after Tsitsipas leaves Australia.
Tsitsipas lost to 2009 champion Rafael Nadal on Thursday night in the Australian Open semi-finals.
You May Also Like: Devastating Nadal Surges Into Australian Open Final
Petra Kvitova, who was attacked by a knife-wielding burglar just over two years ago, is set to player her first Grand Slam final since 2014 at the Australian Open.
Coverage: Daily live commentaries on the BBC Sport website, listen to Tennis Breakfast daily from 07:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and watch highlights on BBC TV and online.
Britain’s Andy Lapthorne and partner David Wagner lost out in a deciding tie-break in the Australian Open quad wheelchair doubles final.
Lapthorne and American Wagner lost 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 12-10 to Australians Dylan Alcott and Heath Davidson.
The final was the only match of the men’s quad wheelchair doubles event.
The British pairing of Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid lost 6-2 7-5 to the duo of Stephane Houdet and Ben Weekes in the men’s wheelchair doubles semi-finals.
Hewett and Reid had twice won doubles events together at both Wimbledon and the US Open and were the top seeds for the Melbourne event, but were beaten in a match that lasted one hour 27 minutes.
Earlier on Thursday, Lapthorne lost 6-1 6-1 to Davidson in his second round robin match in the quad singles, ending his hopes of reaching the final.
Nadal beats Tsitsipas to reach Australian Open final
Impressive Osaka holds off Pliskova comeback
Skupski loses mixed doubles semi-final
Kvitova outclasses Collins to reach first Grand Slam final since stabbing
Live scores, schedule and results
Follow the Australian Open on BBC TV, radio and online
Rejuvenated Pouille Looks To Halt Refreshed Djokovic
Jan242019
Djokovic, Pouille will meet for the first time on Friday
On Monday night, after his taxing fourth-round contest with Daniil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic was exhausted. He put on a front in his on-court interview with Jim Courier, puffing out his chest and flexing his arms, as if to say, “Nothing to see here!”
But later, he shared just how the three-hour and 15-minute grind had affected him.
“I didn’t feel so great in the last 20 minutes of the match or so… It was just a little bit of fatigue… Nothing major. But there are a couple of things that have surfaced, so to say, after a match like this,” Djokovic said.
He didn’t doubt, however, that he’d be ready for his quarter-final against Kei Nishikori. But Djokovic also didn’t mind his quick night at the office on Wednesday evening, when Nishikori retired down 1-6, 1-4 and after only 52 minutes.
“As they say, this is exactly what doctor ordered,” Djokovic told Courier after making his 34th Grand Slam semi-final. “After a match two nights ago, not to spend too much time on the court, and I’ve had plenty of matches so far this year. I’m in another semi-finals, and I’ll do everything to get ready for that one.”
You May Also Like: How Big Of A Tennis Fan Are You?
His seventh Melbourne semi-final, despite Djokovic’s surplus of final-four matchups, will be a new experience: The Serbian will meet Lucas Pouille for the first time. The Frenchman ended Milos Raonic’s bid for a fourth Grand Slam semi-final, and has been playing the tennis of his life, the type of tennis fans and pundits thought they’d see from Pouille at every tournament since he won his first ATP Tour title in February 2016 at the Moselle Open.
But last year, after debuting inside the Top 10 in March, he lost his way. Pouille wrestled with self-belief and questioned his desire.
“It came really fast when I did a quarter-final in [2016] Wimbledon, US Open, then the year after I didn’t win a lot of matches, but I still finished 17 in the world. Last year I lost a bit of joy to be on the court, didn’t want to live in the tournaments,” Pouille said.
Watch: Pouille’s Journey To Professional Tennis
“I took some time to think about myself, about my career, about what I wanted to do. I said, ‘Okay, you have maybe 10 more years on Tour. Do you want to spend them like this or do you want to enjoy it, to enjoy playing on the biggest courts of the world in front of some unbelievable crowds, achieve some great goals, great titles?’
“I said, ‘Okay, now you have to move your ass a little bit and go back to it. Even if you don’t want to practise one day, don’t do it. Just do it when you want. That’s how it came back.’”
Pouille split with Emmanuel Planque in November, and in December started working with former WTA No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo, a two-time Grand Slam champion, including the 2006 Australian Open.
“Started a new adventure with my team, with Amelie, with Loïc [Courteau of the French Tennis Federation].I think that was the great thing for me. I want to practise. I enjoy being on the court again. That’s the most important,” Pouille said.
In a way, his status towards the end of last year wasn’t all that different from Djokovic’s in January 2018. The Serbian never questioned his desire to play and the satisfaction he derived from sport, but he has admitted to feeling lost on court during the early stages of his comeback from a right elbow injury.
Watch: Behind The Scenes of the ATP Photoshoot with Djokovic
You wouldn’t know that Djokovic has struggled in the beginnings of seasons, however, by looking at his Australian Open ledger. The 31-year-old is chasing a record seventh title and has dropped only eight matches from 74 contests at Melbourne Park.
“Being one of the four biggest events in our sport, a Grand Slam, just extracts a lot of motivation and inspiration to play your best always, to get ready, to start the season in the best possible fashion,” Djokovic said. “I have the greatest memories from this court and from fans that have been supporting me over the years.”
He’s back in top form, and Pouille has never played better. “A battle” is what Djokovic is expecting from the Frenchman who upset Rafael Nadal to make the 2016 US Open quarter-finals.
“He’s not afraid to play his best at the biggest stage in sports. So I expect him to come out, be very confident about himself as he always is,” Djokovic said.
“What he has done this tournament is fantastic… With the quality of the tennis that he possesses, he deserves to be definitely at the Top 15, maybe Top 10 of the world. He’s got that quality and potential, no question about it.
“It’s funny that we’re going to play first time against each other. We’ve practised many times. We’ve known each other obviously for a long time… Hopefully we can both be fresh and fit and put on the great show.”
Coverage: Daily live commentaries on the BBC Sport website, listen to Tennis Breakfast daily from 07:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and watch highlights on BBC TV and online.
Australian Open finalist Petra Kvitova thinks “not very many people believed” she could return to the top of the sport after she suffered multiple injuries during a knife attack in 2016.
The Czech sustained damage to ligaments and tendons in her playing left hand when fighting off an intruder.
She says she “was not confident to be alone” in the aftermath of the attack.
Kvitova, 28, beat Danielle Collins 7-6 (7-2) 6-0 on Thursday to reach the women’s singles final in Melbourne.
She will become world number one for the first time if she defeats US Open champion Naomi Osaka on Saturday.
“It wasn’t only physically but mentally very tough,” she said of her recovery.
“It took me really a while to believe the people around me again and especially men, for sure.”
Kvitova beats Collins to reach final
Impressive Osaka holds off Pliskova comeback
Skupski loses mixed doubles semi-final
Kvitova returned to tennis five months after the December 2016 attack at her home in the Czech Republic and Saturday’s match will be her first Grand Slam final since winning Wimbledon in 2014.
Speaking about the period after the attack, Kvitova said: “Those three months were very, very tough.
“I really needed to be strong and not really think too negatively about it, but of course those thoughts were there, as well. Yeah, it’s been a long journey.
“To be honest, I think not very many people believed that I can do that again, to stand on the court and play tennis and play on this level.”
The two-time Wimbledon champion also spoke about meeting Monica Seles last summer. Seles, then the world number one, was stabbed on court by a spectator during a 1993 tournament in Hamburg and was out of the sport for more than two years.
“Actually, she was the one who wanted to meet me, so it was just great and a big honour,” said Kvitova.
“I know that it affected her career a lot, especially (that) it happened on the court. So it’s a bit different, but it was such a nice feeling to meet someone who kind of went through same things and thoughts and everything.”
Live scores, schedule and results
Follow the Australian Open on BBC TV, radio and online
Coverage: Live commentaries on the BBC Sport website, listen to Tennis Breakfast from 08:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and watch highlights on BBC TV and online.
Second seed Rafael Nadal ended Greek youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas’ captivating run at the Australian Open to reach his fifth final in Melbourne.
Nadal, 32, was in devastating form as he beat the 20-year-old 14th seed 6-2 6-4 6-0 in one hour and 46 minutes.
The Spaniard cracked 28 winners, breaking Tsitsipas’ serve six times and only facing one break point himself.
He will play either top seed Novak Djokovic or France’s Lucas Pouille in Sunday’s final – they meet on Friday.
Nadal, who won at Melbourne Park in 2009, is one more win away from winning all four Grand Slams at least twice – a feat which no other man has achieved in the Open era.
Serbia’s Djokovic is also chasing a slice of history as he bids for a record seventh men’s singles title, although he must first beat Grand Slam semi-final debutant Pouille.
You can follow the match on the BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live from 08:30 GMT.
More soon.
Nadal v Tsitsipas semi-final – as it happened
Live scores, schedule and results
Follow the Australian Open on BBC TV, radio and online
Coverage: Daily live commentaries on the BBC Sport website, listen to Tennis Breakfast daily from 07:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and watch highlights on BBC TV and online.
US Open champion Naomi Osaka reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals with a hard-fought win over Czech seventh seed Karolina Pliskova at the Australian Open.
The Japanese fourth seed won 6-2 4-6 6-4 and will face Petra Kvitova, another Czech, in Saturday’s showpiece.
Osaka, 21, hit 15 aces and 56 winners in a confident display.
The semi-final was played under the Rod Laver Arena roof as temperatures touched 40C in Melbourne.
Osaka hit another forehand winner to give herself a match point at 40-30, shouting “come on” as she looked up to the sky and tried to compose herself, then hit what she thought was an 111mph ace down the middle.
After it was called out, Osaka challenged and clasped her hands together in hope as she watched the replay – and was left celebrating when Hawk-Eye showed the ball had clipped the line.
Asked about her feelings when Pliskova won the second set, Osaka said: “I kind of expected it a little because I’ve played her so many times and she has beaten me more than I’ve beaten her. I told myself to regroup and I managed to win.
“It’s just experience playing matches like this. I was so scared serving second serves, I was like ‘oh, my god, please’ and somehow I made it so I guess that’s experience.”
The final will see Osaka and 28-year-old Kvitova, who has reached her first Grand Slam final since being stabbed in December 2016, battling for the world number one ranking.
Defeat ended 26-year-old Pliskova’s hopes of reaching her second Grand Slam final and setting up a first all-Czech final against her Fed Cup team-mate.
Pliskova admitted her remarkable comeback against Serena Williams on Wednesday may have taken its toll, saying: “It’s not only that the match yesterday was tough, but also it was emotionally tough, too.
“I was missing maybe a little bit of power. But she played an unbelievable match, maybe the best in her life. I don’t think she can repeat a match like this.”
Kvitova reaches first Grand Slam final since stabbing
Ruthless Nadal beats Tsitsipas to reach final
Osaka emulates Capriati feat
Osaka won her maiden major at the US Open in September, although that victory was overshadowed by opponent Serena Williams’s furious row with umpire Carlos Ramos.
Now the fourth seed has the chance to savour another triumph in the first Grand Slam of the 2019 season.
Osaka has become the first female player to reach the final at her next Slam following a maiden major win since American Jennifer Capriati in 2001.
She produced a bold performance from the start against the big-hitting Pliskova, hitting 16 winners and breaking serve twice on her way to clinching the opening set in 32 minutes.
The early advantage boded well for the Japanese player, having won her past 58 matches after taking the first set.
Yet Pliskova, who fought back from four match points down to beat Serena Williams little over 24 hours earlier, played more aggressively in the second set and was rewarded with a decisive break in the 10th game.
Osaka only landed one first serve and made two unforced errors as she relinquished her serve to love.
Pliskova had finally found her rhythm, and then threatened to break Osaka in the opening game of the decider.
Osaka crucially dug in to save three break points, before breaking to love in the following game and then fighting off another break point at 4-3 with an ace.
That left her another hold away from becoming the first Japanese woman to reach the Australian Open final and she upped the ante again from 30-30 to seal her place in another Grand Slam showpiece.
Analysis
2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli on Radio 5 live sports extra
The match between Pliskova and Osaka was the best women’s match I’ve ever seen.
That was incredible in terms of level – 58 winners for Osaka and only 20 unforced errors. I was impressed by Pliskova’s resilience – she should have lost in two sets. She kept on finding solutions.
Now it’s two players playing at their peak facing each other in the final – Petra Kvitova and Naomi Osaka.
If I have to pick a favourite for the final then I will go for Osaka.
Live scores, schedule and results
Follow the Australian Open on BBC TV, radio and online
We use technology such as cookies on our website, to provide functions and analysis of our visitor data. Click Accept to confirm that you agree to its use.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
