Tennis

Tennis star Coco Gauff called the federal ban of TikTok in the United States, which went into effect Sunday, "really sad" and expressed her hope the platform can resume service.

"I could not access it after my match. I honestly thought I would be able to get away with it because I was in Australia," she told reporters after her fourth-round victory over Belinda Bencic in the Australian Open. "Hopefully it comes back. ... It's really sad. I've been on the app since it was called Musical.ly. I love TikTok. It's like an escape. I honestly do that before matches. I guess it will force me to read books more—be more of a productive human, probably. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise."

Gauff also wrote "RIP TikTok USA" on the camera lens as she was walking off the court following her match.

Starting Sunday, US-based users of TikTok were met with a message confirming the ban:

In an annoucement Sunday afternoon, TikTok said it's "in the process of restoring service" and thanked Donald Trump on the eve of him assuming the Oval Office for the second time:

During his first presidency, Trump signed an executive order in August 2020 that paved the way for TikTok to be banned within the United States, citing concerns over its data collection and links with the Chinese government. President Joe Biden signed a law in April that required the sale of TikTok in order for its service to continue in the U.S.

While the administration sought to effectively delay the ban in recent days, the Supreme Court upheld it. Trump said he's considering giving TikTok a 90-day extension once he assumes office again.

That will be welcome news for Gauff and others who have amassed sizable followings on platform. The 2023 U.S. Open champion has more than 750,000 followers.

Novak Djokovic boycotted the usual on-court interview after his victory over Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

After the match, Djokovic had a brief message for the fans before walking off the court.

The 10-time tournament champion explained in his press conference his issue was with Channel 9, which broadcasts the Australian Open in its home country. He alluded to network personality Tony Jones and said Jones had "made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me."

Djokovic then responded affirmatively when asked whether his snubbing of the on-court interview will be "an ongoing stance until you get an apology."

Tennis writer Ben Rothenberg provided a transcript of Djokovic's opening statement along with a clip with the offending remarks from Jones.

Jones was standing before a group of Djokovic's fans, who were chanting and presumably speaking in Serbian. He pretended to translate and said they were cheering things like "Novak, he's overrated" and "Novak's a has-been."

Jones issued an apology on Monday morning, via ESPN's Matt Walsh:

The comments were made on the news on Friday night, which I considered to be banter. I considered it to be humor, which is consistent with most things I do.

Having said that, I was made aware on Saturday morning, from Tennis Australia via the Djokovic camp, that the Djokovic camp was not happy at all with those comments. As such, I immediately contacted the Djokovic camp and issued an apology to them—this was 48 hours ago—for any disrespect that Novak felt, that I had caused. And as I stand here now, I can only stand by that apology to Novak if he felt any disrespect, which quite clearly he does.

The television presenter also drew the ire of Danielle Collins after he called her a "brat." Collins had goaded the crowd at times during her second-round win over Australian Destanee Aiava.

Djokovic said he "loved her response" to the crowd and he has become a "big fan" of Collins.

When it comes to his own feud with Channel 9, the No. 7 seed told reporters he has made his position clear to Tennis Australian CEO Craig Tiley.

"I just wanted to make sure that he knows where I stand and the reasons behind it," he said. "So I told him: 'If you guys want to fine me for not giving an on-court interview, that's OK.' I'll accept that 'cause I feel like this is something that needs to be done. That's all there is to it."

Djokovic faces off with Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

Naomi Osaka's run at the 2025 Australian Open came to an end in the third round due to an injury.

The two-time Aussie Open champ suffered a strained abdominal muscle that caused her to retire after her first set against Belinda Bencic on Friday.

Updated Australian Open Bracket (Women's Third and Fourth Rounds)

• Third round: Coco Gauff def. Leylah Fernandez, 6-4, 6-2
• Third round: Belinda Bencic def. Naomi Osaka, 7-6 (7) (Retired)
• Third round: Paula Badosa def. Marta Kostyuk, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
• Third round: Olga Danilović def. Jessica Pegula, 7-6 (3), 6-1
• Fourth round: Coco Gauff vs. Belinda Bencic (Saturday, Time TBD)
• Fourth round: Paula Badosa vs. Olga Danilović (Saturday, Time TBD)

Full women's singles bracket available via AusOpen.com.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Osaka explained abdominal injuries have been a frequent problem throughout her career and this one has been lingering since October during a tournament in Beijing.

"I kind of have a history of it, since I was a teenager," she said. "At least once a year, I'd get an ab strain. For me, I want to say it's more the way my serve is—it's quite explosive. Unfortunately, it carried on over to the beginning of this season."

There were indications leading up to the Australian Open that Osaka might be less than 100 percent. She had to withdraw from the final of a WTA event in Auckland earlier this month with an apparent abdominal injury.

Osaka, who was unseeded in the tournament, won her first two matches in three sets. She upset No. 20 Karolína Muchová in the second round to set up her showdown with Bencic.

Despite the abrupt exit because of an injury, Osaka had her best showing at the Australian Open since 2022. The 27-year-old didn't play in 2023 after announcing she was pregnant with her first child days before the tournament began. She lost to Caroline Garcia in the first round last year.

Osaka won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021. The 2019 victory elevated her to No. 1 in the WTA rankings for the first time in her career. She also has two U.S. Open titles on her resume in 2018 and 2020.