Tennis

Fans won't have to wait until the 2025 Australian Open final for a potential showdown between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

As the Associated Press relayed, seventh-seeded Djokovic and third-seeded Alcaraz were placed in the same side of the bracket during Thursday's draw for the year's first tennis major. Reigning champion Jannik Sinner is the top seed on the men's side.

If the headline players take care of business in the early rounds, Djokovic and Alcaraz would meet in the quarterfinals with second-seeded Alexander Zverev potentially waiting in the semifinal.

Sinner, who defeated Djokovic in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open, could be waiting in the final.

As for the women's side, Aryna Sabalenka is attempting to become the first to win a third straight women's singles title at the event since Martina Hingis did so from 1997 to 1999.

Yet she could face Coco Gauff in the semifinals with Iga Swiatek and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on the other side of the bracket.

Still, all eyes will be on Djokovic at this tournament as a 10-time champion who is looking to add an 11th crown to his illustrious resume. The 24-time Grand Slam champion last won the Australian Open in 2023 with a final victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas after also taking home the title in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

A showdown with Alcaraz would be appointment viewing, as they faced each other in the Wimbledon and Paris Olympics finals last year. Alcarez won Wimbledon, while Djokovic captured gold at the Games.

Former tennis star Andy Roddick called out Nick Kyrgios amid tension between him and Jannik Sinner.

On his podcast, Served with Andy Roddick, Roddick accused Kyrgios of "hypocrisy" and called him a "tennis influencer who "lives for the likes."

Kyrgios has been outspoken against Sinner after the star avoided a band for failing to doping tests last year. The ITIA chose not to ban Sinner after he tested positive for "less than a billionth of a gram" of the substance Clostebol, which was found in massage cream.

It was Kyrgios' criticism of Sinner that led to Roddick speaking out against him.

"I chose to understand the context (of the Sinner case) and explain it in a way that wasn't just, 'You're doping, kick you out forever', but that maybe there was some nuance and maybe our doping protocols were a little overzealous," he said (h/t Tennis365's Ewan West).

In August, after the ITIA chose not to ban Sinner, Kyrgios made a post on social media disagreeing with the decision.

"Ridiculous - whether it was accidental or planned," he wrote. "You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream…. Yeah nice."

In the months since, Kyrgios has maintained his disagreement with the ITIA's decision and has been especially vocal on social media, which ultimately led to Roddick encouraging him to stop trying to be a "tennis influencer."

Gabriela Dabrowski revealed on Tuesday that she played through the 2024 season after undergoing treatment for breast cancer. She competed at Wimbledon and in the Olympics after delaying part of that treatment.

She revealed the breast cancer diagnosis, which she received in April, on her Instagram.

"The preliminary results came back that day: cancer," she wrote in the post. "These are words you never expect to hear, and in an instant your life or the life of a loved one turns upside down."

She said she had two surgeries at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and rehabed in April and May before "a slight delay in further treatment" allowed her to compete at Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics. She and her partner, Erin Routliffe, lost in the Wimbledon final to Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend. She won bronze in mixed doubles in Paris with Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Dabrowski said she chose to wait to reveal the diagnosis to avoid "the possible attention and questions" she'd get before she had the chance to "figure everything out and handle things privately."

"For a long time I wasn't ready to expose myself to the possible attention and questions I'd have gotten before," she said. "I wanted to figure everything out and handle things privately with only those closest to me in the loop. There were so many unknowns and so much learning and research to be done. Currently, I'm in a place where I have a better grasp of my treatment, side effects and how to manage them. Please know I am fully aware of how lucky I am as well, because many do not get the luxury of being able to tell their story at all."

After her Wimbledon final appearance and bronze medal at the Olympics, she and Routliffe won the WTA Finals to round out the season.

"My mindset shifted from 'I have to do this (play tennis and not waste my skills)' to 'I get to do this,'" she wrote. "Through this lens I find it so much easier to find joy in areas of my life I previously viewed as a heavy weight."

Netflix dropped a teaser trailer Wednesday showcasing an upcoming documentary series featuring tennis legend Rafael Nadal.

Per Deadline's Peter White, Skydance Sports will produce the docuseries on the recently retired Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam singles champion.

"The series will spotlight Nadal's career as well as his life off-the-court, showcasing never-before-seen material from Nadal's personal archive and featuring full access with the star, his family and his close circle of coaches and advisors including during his comeback to competitive play in the 2024 season after sitting out much of 2023 due to injury," White wrote.

The news comes nine months after Nadal faced off against Carlos Alcaraz in The Netflix Slam, an exhibition match between the two stars that streamed lived in March. The two split a pair of sets (6-3 Nadal, 6-4 Alcaraz) before Alcaraz won a deciding tiebreak, 14-12.

Now Nadal will take centerstage by himself in this docuseries, which highlights a superstaer that won a record 14 French Opens in addition to four U.S. Opens, two Wimbledons and two Australian Opens.

Nadal's 92 career titles also rank fifth in the Open Era, and he won Olympic singles gold in 2008 and doubles gold in 2016.

World No. 2 women's tennis player Iga Świątek is in the midst of serving a one-month suspension stemming from a violation of the International Tennis Integrity Agency's anti-doping policy.

According to ESPN, the ITIA announced Thursday that the 23-year-old tested positive for trimetazidine, which is a heart medication also known by the name TMZ.

Świątek accepted the result of her failed August drug test and the one-month suspension, although she noted that she unintentionally consumed the substance via contamination of melatonin she took to to help her sleep and avoid jet lag.

The ITIA accepted her explanation and determined that violation was "at the lowest end of the range for no significant fault or negligence," which is why the suspension was so brief.

Świątek's was provisionally suspended from Sept. 12 through Oct. 8, and she has only eight days remaining on the ban. The Polish star missed three tournaments while suspended.

Additionally, she forfeited $158,944 in prize money won at the Cincinnati Open, which was the first tournament she played after testing positive.

Since the final eight days of her suspension will be served while no tournament is ongoing, Świątek is eligible to return to play as soon as Monday.

She explained the situation in a video she posted Thursday on Instagram, saying:

"In the last 2½ months, I was subject to strict ITIA proceedings, which confirmed my innocence. The only positive doping test in my career, showing unbelievably low level of a banned substance I've never heard about before, put everything I've worked so hard for my entire life into question.

"Both me and my team had to deal with tremendous stress and anxiety. Now everything has been carefully explained, and with a clean slate I can go back to what I love most."

Although she has been surpassed by Aryna Sabalenka for the No. 1 ranking in women's tennis, Świątek has consistently been the top player in the world for the past few years.

She won her first Grand Slam singles title at 2020 French Open, and she also won at Roland Garros in 2022, 2023 and 2024. She won the 2022 U.S. Open as well.

Although Świątek had third-round exits in the 2024 Australian Open and Wimbledon, and lost in the U.S. Open quarterfinals, she won a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris to go along with her 2024 French Open title.

With Świątek's suspension essentially over, she will be clear to compete in the 2025 Australian Open, which will be held in Melbourne in January.

After retiring from competition following the 2024 Olympics, Andy Murray is getting back into tennis as a coach for one of his longtime rivals.

Novak Djokovic announced on Saturday that Murray will work with him as he prepares for the Australian Open.

"I'm going to be joining Novak's team in the off season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open. I'm really excited for it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals," Murray said (h/t The Athletic's Callum Davis).

Murray and Djokovic are both 37 years old, born exactly one week apart in 1987. Despite being the same age, Djokovic actually turned pro first in 2003. It wasn't until 2005 when Murray began competing at the top level.

They are two of the most decorated players of this era. Murray was a three-time grand slam singles champion and three-time Olympic medalist, including back-to-back golds in 2012 and 2016.

Djokovic's 24 grand slam singles titles are the most ever for a men's player.

The 2024 season marked just the second time Djokovic didn't win at least one of the four major tournaments in the past 13 years (2017). He made up for it by winning his first Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games in August.

Djokovic announced in March he had parted ways with longtime coach Goran Ivanišević. The pair had been working together for six years, but Djokovic started 2024 losing in the Australian Open semifinals and third round at Indian Wells.

The last few years of Murray's playing career were marred by injuries. His final event was playing doubles with Daniel Evans at the Olympics. The duo advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.

Djokovic and Murray had a friendly rivalry on the court. They played 36 head-to-head matches from 2005 to '22. Djokovic had a 25-11 advantage over Murray, with five wins in grand slam finals.

Carlos Alcaraz has already accomplished more at the age of 21 than most tennis players will in their entire career, but he understands trying to equal what Rafael Nadal did is virtually unthinkable.

After Nadal's career came to an end on Tuesday with Spain's loss to the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarterfinal tie, Alcaraz told reporters it is "almost impossible" for anyone to follow his legacy:

"I think that he was one of the best ambassadors for tennis. I mean, his legacy is going to be eternal. You know, he has been great for tennis, for this sport in general.

"Yeah, it is difficult, at least for me. I don't want to think that I should continue, you know, the legacy that he has left. It is difficult, almost impossible. I will try to do my best, but right now, you know, it's time to say, you know, just great things about Rafa, what he has done, you know, during his career. Probably he was one of the players that put tennis, you know, in the top of sport in the top of the world. It is just great to have had Rafa in tennis and, you know, in this period in my life."

Nadal previously announced that the Davis Cup would be his final tournament, but it wasn't clear going in when he would play.

Spain captain David Ferrer wound up using Nadal against Botic van de Zandschulp in the first match of the day. Rafa lost 6-4, 6-4 in one of two singles matches on the day. Alcaraz beat Tallon Griekspoor in the other, leaving the doubles match as the tiebreaker to determine which team would advance.

The pairing of van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof defeated Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers in straight sets, ending Spain's run in the tournament and Nadal's career.

Nadal is on the short list of best athletes of the 21st century so far, in addition to being arguably the best men's tennis player of all-time. His 22 grand slam singles titles are the second-most among all men's players, behind only Novak Djokovic's 24.

There is no argument that Nadal is the greatest clay court player of all-time. His 14 French Open victories are seven more than any men's or women's player during the Open era.

Alcaraz is doing his fellow countryman proud by carrying on Nadal's legacy of dominance for Spain. He has 16 singles titles on his resume, including four grand slam championships.

The biggest factor for Alcaraz to even have a chance at catching any of Nadal's records is longevity. He went 17 years between his first grand slam title in 2005 and his last one in 2022.

Alcaraz was able to play Nadal three times in singles matches. Rafa won the first two before Alcaraz finally got the better of him at the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid in May 2022.

Rafael Nadal called it a career on Tuesday after more than two decades of tennis excellence.

He announced in October that the Davis Cup would be his final professional event, and he lost 6-4, 6-4 to the Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp on Tuesday, bringing his career to a close.

After dozens of wins and accomplishments, Nadal reflected on how he'd like to be remembered.

"I want to be remembered as good person and a kid who followed their dreams and achieved more than I ever believed possible," Nadal said, per ESPN's Tom Hamilton.

Nadal, who won 22 men's Grand Slam titles, said earlier this week that he "could no longer reach the competitive level he felt was required to continue to challenge for some of the sport's biggest honors," per Hamilton.

The legendary tennis player spent the last few years of his career battling injuries. He missed almost an entire year because of a hip injury and played just 24 matches since the start of 2023.

Many wondered if Nadal would play in the Davis Cup after not having played a competitive match since the Olympics in August, but he ultimately got to close out his career representing his home country of Spain.

"The titles and numbers are there so people probably know that, but the way I would like to be remembered is being a good person from a small village in Mallorca where I had the luck to have my uncle as a tennis coach," Nadal said after the loss. "I had a great family who supported me in every moment. I was a kid who followed their dreams, worked as hard as possible to be where I am today. At the end of the day, a lot of people try their best every single day, but I'm very lucky to have the life I have to live because of tennis."

While Nadal couldn't end his career with a win, he has more than enough accomplishments to look back at.