Archive of posts tagged Melbourne

Novak Djokovic mirrors his worst streak at Majors. Still, numbers prove greatness

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Alexander Zverev

Novak Djokovic competed in his first Major semi-final at the 2007 Roland Garros. Eighteen years later, the Serb is still capable of entering the latter stages on the most notable tennis scene.

Novak has reached the last four at all three Majors in 2025, standing strong at 38 and writing age records. The 24-time Major champion is one of two players with three Major semi-finals this season.

The other? World no. 1, Jannik Sinner! However, the legend has stumbled at this stage each time, suffering losses to Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner and marking his worst streak in the Major semi-finals since 2010!

Novak did not perform at his best in his first eight Major semi-finals until Wimbledon 2010, having won only two matches and dropping four straight semi-finals between 2008 and 2010.

Djokovic raised his level and embraced a thrilling 32-5 streak between the 2010 US Open and the 2023 US Open. Between Wimbledon 2013 and the US Open 2023, the Serb dropped only two Major semi-finals, entering numerous finals and chasing the ultimate records. 

Novak has not been able to follow that run since the beginning of 2024, entering five Major semi-finals and scoring only one win at Wimbledon last year. The veteran defeated Carlos Alcaraz at this year's Australian Open. 

Novak Djokovic, Australian Open 2025

Novak Djokovic, Australian Open 2025© Stream screenshot

 

He became the third-oldest semi-finalist in Melbourne after Ken Rosewall and Roger Federer. However, he experienced a muscle tear and retired in the semi-final after dropping the tie break of the opening set against Alexander Zverev. 

Djokovic recovered and embraced another deep run at Roland Garros. He served revenge to Zverev in the quarter-final, becoming the oldest semi-finalist in Paris since Pancho Gonzales in 1968! 

Novak fought well against Jannik Sinner, challenging the world's best player for over three hours before losing 6-4, 7-5, 7-6. The Serb used that momentum and secured another semi-final at Wimbledon, his 14th at the All England Club!

Novak Djokovic, Roland Garros 2025

Novak Djokovic, Roland Garros 2025© Stream screenshot

 

Djokovic experienced another setback in the quarter-final, falling on a match point against Flavio Cobolli and injuring his left hip area. The veteran tried to recover and challenge Jannik SInner, but his body could not endure the effort. 

The Italian earned a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory, providing the Serb's third straight loss in the Major semi-finals. Novak struggled with his movement and trailed in sets one and two. 

He raised his level in the third and built a 3-0 advantage and a break chance in game four. Jannik saved it and turned the tables, taking six of the final seven games to emerge at the top and beat the legend for the fifth straight time. 

Novak Djokovic, Wimbledon 2025

Novak Djokovic, Wimbledon 2025© Stream screenshot

 

In an era where each deep run at Majors demands peak physical and mental effort, Djokovic's presence in all three semi-finals speaks volumes about his enduring greatness and legacy. 

However, this year's string of defeats highlights an inevitable shift. The margins are smaller, the rivals younger and the physical toll heavier. Against all odds, Novak continues to challenge the world's best players at Majors. 

Despite the frustration, there's a powerful silver lining. Djokovic continues to prove his unmatched consistency on the sport's biggest stages. The best thing? His hunger and desire have not faded despite accomplishing every task our sport has to offer.

Eva Lys roasts herself and drops hilarious Iga Swiatek comment after Montreal loss

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Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Eva Lys kept it light after being routed by Iga Swiatek in Montreal as the 69th-ranked German teased herself and also funnily blamed the Pole for always ending her good runs. 

The 23-year-old German, who broke into the top-100 for the first time earlier this year, only this year made her maiden appearance at the Canadian Open. And the world No. 69 started solidly, beating Leolia Jeanjean and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova before Swiatek handed her a 6-2 6-2 third-round loss.

On X, a fan posted a video of how the third-seeded Pole saved a game point in the opening game by making Lys run from side to side. The six-time Grand Slam champion also got her first break of the match in that game. 

The X video in question was captioned: "Iga has Eva running marathons already." After the match, the German noticed the post and hilariously stated that she thought the same on the court: "Legit what I said to my box 20 mins into the match."

Lys jokes: Swiatek always ending my good runs…

If you can recall, Lys was one of the best stories of this year's Australian Open as she stayed in Melbourne for a couple of days after losing in the qualifying final round before literally entering the draw as a lucky loser at the last moment. The rest is history as the 23-year-old ended up making the round-of-16 and becoming the first lucky loser since 1988 to make the second week at Melbourne Park. Her fairytale run was ended by Swiatek, who beat her 6-0 6-1.

"@iga.swiatek always ending my good runs lol. tried my best, came a little closer this time. we appreciate the small steps. BIGGEST thank you to the amazing fans in Montreal. you made me feel loved. until next year," the German wrote on Instagram.

 

 

 

 

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Lys also played against Swiatek in 2022 Stuttgart and picked up a 1-6 1-6 loss.

Grigor Dimitrov Out of 2025 US Open

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By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Photo credit: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty

A torn pectoral muscle shattered Grigor Dimitrov’s Wimbledon dream—and ended his 2025 US Open before it began.

The 34-year-old Dimitrov has withdrawn from the US Open as he continues recovery from a partial rupture of his pectoral muscle he suffered while leading world No. 1 Jannik Sinner 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 in the Wimbledon round of 16.

Tennis Express player gear
Tennis Express player gear

Dimitrov’s manager, Georgi Stoimenov, confirmed his client’s withdrawal from the Flushing Meadows major to Bulgarian website Tennis Kafe.

The withdrawal ended Dimitrov’s remarkable run of 58 consecutive Grand Slam appearances that dates back to the 2011 Australian Open. Dimitrov held the longest streak of consecutive Slams played among active men and the fifth longest streak in Open Era history. Mutua Madrid Open tournament director and Dimitrov friend Feliciano Lopez owns the longest streak with 79 consecutive Grand Slams in a row. That streak ended in 2022.

The 20th-ranked Dimitrov, who won the 2008 Wimbledon boys and US Open boys’ championships in succession, reached the Flushing Meadows quarterfinals last year bowing to Frances Tiafoe.

A 2019 US Open semifinalist, Dimitrov has contested semifinals at three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, including the 2014 Wimbledon and 2017 Australian Open.

In a classic clash vs. the king of clay Rafael Nadal, Dimitrov pushed Nadal to five sets in a 2017 Australian Open marathon match.

Driven to the brink in a pulsating four hour, 56-minute clash, Nadal fought off a dynamic Dimitrov, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-4, to reach his 24th Grand Slam final in Melbourne.

Novak Djokovic may have to wait until 2026 to make history: all details inside

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Australian Open

Novak Djokovic is realizing how difficult it will be to win another Grand Slam title and become the oldest player ever to achieve this feat. The former world No.1 still has the ability to raise his level in surprising ways in Major tournaments – having reached the semifinals in Melbourne, Paris and London this year – but the truth is that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have reached a level that is too high for him nowadays.

The Serbian legend no longer has the athletic fitness of a few years ago and the number of his injuries has definitely increased in the last year and a half, forcing him to admit that it will not be easy to make tennis history for the umpteenth time.

The 38-year-old from Belgrade could have retired in the summer of last year, after achieving the last huge goal of his career by winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, but he loves this sport too much and has decided to continue competing at the highest level. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has repeatedly repeated that he would be really proud to participate in the next edition of the Olympics, scheduled in Los Angeles in 2028, when he will be 41 years old.

Nole is aiming to win his 25th Grand Slam title

Meanwhile, Nole has decided to skip the Toronto Masters 1000 and is expected to return to action in Cincinnati next month, the last test before the start of the US Open in late August. The Serbian veteran is still enjoying his holidays in Croatia and Greece.

Speaking to Gigi Salmon on the latest episode of the 'Courtside Conversations' podcast, Mansour Bahrami reflected on Novak's current status: “I thought that he is going to do it. I know that it’s going to get more and more difficult. For me Wimbledon was maybe the last one so it would be unbelievable and he has done so many things unbelievable that we all are amazed how great he’s done.

He’s a great champion, he’s won everything and so is he capable at almost 39 to go and win Australian Open. I would say if there is one that would be Australian Open. But it’s going to be very, very hard.”

Jannik Sinner reaches final at all four Majors faster than Rafael Nadal

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All England Club

Jannik Sinner's run at Majors has been nothing but spectacular in the previous two years! The Italian's relentless rise continued at Wimbledon a couple of weeks ago, lifting his first trophy at the All England Club.

By reaching the final in London, Jannik collected title matches at all four Majors as the ninth player in the Open era. At 23 years and ten months, Sinner became the second player to achieve that, passing Rafael Nadal and trailing only Jim Courier!

The great Spaniard got his name on the list at the 2010 US Open at 24 years and three months. Roger Federer entered the chart at the 2006 Roland Garros, two months before turning 25, and Novak Djokovic joined at the same tournament six years later at 25.

Jim Courier holds the record, completing the final at all four Majors at Wimbledon in 1993, still at 22. Jannik could not match him, but the names he left behind speak volumes about his achievement.

Sinner has reached seven semi-finals at the previous nine Majors, with five titles matches and four titles under his belt. The Italian celebrated 81 times in his first 100 matches on the most notable scene, a tally few can match.

More impressively, he has been nearly unstoppable at last four Major events, compiling a staggering 27-1 record and lifting trophies in New York, Melbourne and London. 

Jannik Sinner, Wimbledon 2025

Jannik Sinner, Wimbledon 2025© Stream screenshot

 

Jannik almost completed a Career Grand Slam, having missed three match points against Carlos Alcaraz in that epic Roland Garros final. Sinners ability to adjust across surfaces highlights a level od adaptability and maturity well beyond his age.

With each Major event, the 23-year-old further establishes himself not just as the future of tennis, but as a dominant force of the present. What's next for Jannik? The US Open title defense.

The young gun will be the favorite to defend the crown at Arthur Ashe Stadium and extend his hard-court Major dominance, having won the previous three tournaments in Melbourne and New York.

Dominic Thiem is surprised by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

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Carlos Alcaraz

As of the start of the 2024 season, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have become the two new leaders of the men's tour and it is no coincidence that they have shared the last seven Grand Slam titles. The Italian ace triumphed in Melbourne in 2024 and 2025, at the 2024 US Open and at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, while the Spaniard prevailed at Roland Garros in 2024 and 2025 and at Wimbledon in 2024.

Jannik and Carlos are able to express a level that is clearly superior to that of all the other players and – at the moment – it is not clear who can stop their rise. The top two players of the ATP rankings have faced each other in the final in both Paris and London this year, and fans are already dreaming of a new chapter in their rivalry taking place in New York at the end of the summer.

Their matches are simply epic and the recent Roland Garros final is destined to be remembered as one of the best of the modern era, as well as being the longest in the history of the French Slam. The star from Murcia prevailed in the fifth set after canceling three match points in a row, completing one of the most impressive comebacks in recent tennis history.

Thiem is speechless

During a long interview, former Austrian ace Dominic Thiem – who had to leave tennis due to a serious wrist injury – discussed this electrifying rivalry: "Their matches are always very balanced and spectacular, they have raised the level of the sport and are taking it to another dimension. Jannik and Carlos play at an impressive speed and move very well. No one expected that two such champions would emerge immediately after the Big 3."

The 2020 US Open winner also added: "Both are much superior to their opponents today, but it can happen that they lose too. I don't know if they're going to win every Grand Slam tournament in the next few years, but there's no doubt that they're one step ahead of everyone today."

The level of tennis has risen too high for Novak Djokovic: all the details inside

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Belgrade

Novak Djokovic's goal of winning his 25th Major title by the end of the 2025 season will not be easy to achieve, as only the US Open scheduled in New York at the end of the summer is missing. The Serbian legend has indeed raised his level in Grand Slam tournaments, where he has defeated excellent players and reached the semifinals on all occasions (in Melbourne, Paris and London), but he has not given the feeling that he can make tennis history once again.

The collective feeling is that the two current leaders of the men's tour – Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – are superior to Nole at this stage of his career and it will be very tough for the former world No. 1 to beat them in a best-of-five-set match at 38 years old.

The veteran from Belgrade wants to become the oldest ever to win a Grand Slam title by uncorking the record from Ken Rosewall, but time is running out and Novak will also have to hope for some luck in New York in about a month.

Djokovic expected to return to action in Cincinnati

Djokovic is enjoying some vacation in Croatia right now and has been spotted alongside former Real Madrid footballer Luka Modric, while a few days ago he announced that he will not participate in the Toronto Masters 1000 which starts later this month.

In a recent interview with 'Gol', his former coach Goran Ivanisevic – who has just finished working with Stefanos Tsitsipas – gave his honest verdict on Nole's chances of shocking the world for the umpteenth time: “When you’re not 100 percent with Sinner… and even when you are, your chances aren’t great,” said the 2001 Wimbledon winner.

I thought Novak could do it, but unfortunately he wasn’t completely ready. Djokovic is the greatest tennis player of all time, but what these two are doing is another level of tennis.”

Novak's next tournament is expected to be the Cincinnati Masters 1000, where he triumphed in 2023 for the last time.