Latest news with #MargaretCourt
News.com.au
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘She's still got it': New video of Serena Williams sends fans wild as Venus Williams makes return
Serena Williams called time on her illustrious tennis career in 2022, but a recent clip posted to her Instagram shows she may be set to make a shock comeback. The 43-year-old claimed 23 Grand Slam titles – second only to Margaret Court's 24 – and competed in her last professional match at the U.S. Open three years ago, where she lost to Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic. After that defeat, she bid goodbye to the sport and has avoided the temptation to make a comeback. The following year, Williams welcomed her second child in August, and since then, she has undergone an incredible body transformation. In recent months, the youngest of the Williams sisters has upped her social media posting, sharing various pics and videos of her incredible new physique. But it was a video the 23-time grand slam winner uploaded on Saturday (AEDT), that truly sent fans crazy. You can watch the footage of Serena Williams in action in the player above. There has been very limited footage of the tennis star out on the court since calling time on her illustrious career, but on Saturday, she shared a clip captioned 'Still Serena' showcasing her skills, with fans all thinking the same thing; 'She's still got it'. 'Mother of 2 Serena Williams, wins grand slam in 2026! I can see it now,' one fan commented. 'Damn, she's still got it. Absolute GOAT,' another added. 'Would still beat everyone at the tour even with no training,' a third wrote. Fans also began to hypothesise she may be eyeing a shock return to the sport, potentially on the doubles court. 'You've always been fit. But this is the fittest we've seen you since the 2012-2016 season. Just one more season, Serena?' one wrote. 'She's coming back for doubles with Vee (Venus Williams) at the Open,' another added. Spanish tennis player Carlos Sanz also pointed to a key in the video. 'Keep rewatching this video, are we preparing for a doubles WC entry with Venus at the US Open? And your comeback?' Venus Williams, Serena's elder sister, is gearing up for a comeback at the DC Open in Washington this weekend with a wildcard entry, marking her first WTA Tour match since March 2024. So could a Serena comeback be on the cards, potentially with her sister Venus? Time will tell.
France 24
07-07-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Djokovic survives scare to reach Wimbledon quarters, Sinner in action
Seven-time champion Djokovic endured a nightmare start to his last-16 match against the Australian 11th seed on Centre Court, but eventually battled back to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Fresh from his 100th win at Wimbledon on Saturday -- making him the third player to achieve that feat after Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer -- Djokovic reached his 16th quarter-final at the tournament. Aged 38, Djokovic is aiming to win a record 25th major title, breaking a tie with the long-retired Margaret Court, and a record-equalling eighth men's crown at the All England Club. That would make him the oldest Grand Slam singles champion in the Open era. "It wasn't a great start for me, it was a great start for Alex de Minaur obviously. I kind of reset myself in the second set," Djokovic said. "I was very pleased to hang in tough in the right moments and win this one." Sixth-seeded Djokovic's 101st victory at Wimbledon came under the gaze of Federer, who was sitting in the front row of the royal box alongside his wife Mirka. "It's probably the first time he's watching me and I've won the match," said Djokovic. "The last couple I lost, so good to break the curse. "No, it's great, obviously, great to have Roger, a huge champion and someone that I admired and respected a lot. "We shared the stage for so many years, and it's great to have him back." Sinner in the groove In the last eight, Djokovic faces Italian 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli, who defeated former Wimbledon runner-up Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/3). The 23-year-old will be playing in his Grand Slam quarter-final having never advanced past the third round in his seven previous appearances at the majors. While defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is yet to consistently find his top form at the tournament, Sinner has been dominant on the grass. The three-time Grand Slam champion, who takes on Bulgarian 19th seed Grigor Dmitrov on Monday, is looking to reach his maiden Wimbledon final. He has dropped just 17 games in his first three matches, equalling Jan Kodes' 1972 record for the lowest number of games lost on route to the Wimbledon last 16. Iga Swiatek, a five-time major winner, has never reached a Wimbledon final but the Pole is in a strong position in the second week of the tournament after the exit of so many of the top seeds. Although Swiatek, who plays Danish 23rd seed Clara Tauson in the last 16, has reached only one All England Club quarter-final, she made the Bad Homburg final on grass recently and also won the Wimbledon junior title. Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva, who is just 18 years old, can reach the Wimbledon quarters for the first time if she defeats American 10th seed Emma Navarro, who ended Barbora Krejcikova's reign as champion on Saturday. Former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic reached her maiden Wimbledon quarter-final -- and first at any Grand Slam since 2021 -- with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 victory against Russian world number 17 Ekaterina Alexandrova.
France 24
05-07-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Djokovic 100 not out, into fourth round at Wimbledon
Djokovic said before a ball was struck at the All England Club this year that Wimbledon presented his best chance to surpass the 24 majors won by the long-retired Australian Margaret Court. A seven-time champion in south-west London, Djokovic is showing he is a credible contender for his first Slam victory since 2023. The 38-year-old has dropped just 12 games in his last two matches after romping to a 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 victory in just under two hours on court. Djokovic's 100 wins puts him behind only Roger Federer's 105 victories in the men's game and nine-time winner Martina Navratilova's all-time record of 120. Conserving his energy could prove vital in the second week with Djokovic likely to have to beat both the world's top two players, Jannik Sinner and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, if he is to lift the trophy on July 13. He faces Australian 11th seed Alex de Minaur in the fourth round.
Khaleej Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Record-chasing Djokovic crushes Evans to reach Wimbledon third round
Novak Djokovic stepped up his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title as he moved into the Wimbledon third round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 rout of British wildcard Dan Evans on Thursday. Djokovic needed just one hour and 47 minutes to dispatch Evans with a ruthless display in the second round on Centre Court. The sixth seed struggled with stomach issues in his four-set win against Alexandre Muller, praising the "miracle pills" he took during the first round for his strong recovery. There were no lingering effects for the seven-time Wimbledon champion as he overwhelmed Evans with 46 winners. "It means I've been playing quite a long time!" Djokovic said when told he had just secured his 99th Wimbledon match victory. "I still enjoy it. This court has given me so much. Wimbledon has a special place in my heart. Any history made here is obviously extra special." Djokovic is dreaming of putting an exclamation point on his incredible career by becoming the most successful singles player in tennis history. The 38-year-old has been tied with Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam titles since winning his most recent major prize at the 2023 US Open. And despite losing the last two Wimbledon finals against Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic believes the lawns of south-west London provide his best chance to win that elusive 25th major. "I'm aware of the history on the line. I'm thinking about the big things I can do in this tournament," he said. "I don't reflect on it for now. I think that will come when I sip a margarita on the beach with (Roger) Federer and (Rafael) Nadal!" After losing to top seed Jannik Sinner in the recent French Open semi-finals, Djokovic is in the unusual position of no longer being regarded as the Wimbledon title favourite, having failed to make the championship match in his previous three Grand Slam appearances. Djokovic, who won his 100th tour-level title in May in Geneva, has been dogged by questions about when he will retire since fulfilling his long-held desire for Olympic singles gold in Paris last year. But he would draw level on a record eight men's Wimbledon singles titles with Federer if he wins the grass-court event for the first time since 2022, and on this evidence he is in the mood to make history at his favourite tournament. Evans, 35, had won his only previous meeting with Djokovic on clay in Monte Carlo four years ago and the Serb claimed he was the kind of tricky opponent he would have preferred to avoid. But Djokovic had never lost a Grand Slam match to a player ranked as low as world number 154 Evans and he wasn't about to make unwanted history. "I knew it would be a special atmosphere on Centre Court. A Brit in Britain is always hard to face," Djokovic said. "Technically and tactically I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I executed perfectly. Sometimes you have these kind of days when everything goes your way."
Asharq Al-Awsat
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Djokovic Passes Muller Test to Reach Wimbledon Second Round
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic was made to work hard after a strong start as he began his bid for a 25th Grand Slam title by beating unseeded Frenchman Alexandre Muller 6-1 6-7(7) 6-2 6-2 to reach the second round on Tuesday. The sixth seed, who is aiming to equal Roger Federer's haul at the All England Club and move past Margaret Court in the all-time list of major champions, will take on British wild card Dan Evans in the next round. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I have a chance, to be honest," Djokovic said. "I think I always have a chance, I've earned my right to feel I can go all the way to the title. I've had arguably the most success of any Grand Slam here in the last decade. "It's just the beginning of the tournament. There are many fantastic players in the draw. I'm going to be playing a Briton in the next round. That's going to be a tough one, but I look forward to it. "I've always felt like grass, particularly in the second part of my career, was really the surface where I played my best tennis, so why not do it again?" Djokovic, who endured a poor year before lifting his 100th tour-level trophy in Geneva ahead of a run to the semi-finals of the French Open, powered through the opening set against Muller by winning six games on the trot. Muller put up much more of a fight in the next set, saving five breakpoints to hold for 4-4 before forcing a tiebreak where he raised his game again to battle from 2-5 down and draw level in the match. Djokovic caught his breath when the Centre Court roof was closed and then took a medical timeout early in the third set for a stomach problem, before going up 3-2 with a break after Muller hit his sixth double fault of the match. Having wrapped up the third set, Djokovic racked up a 4-2 advantage in the fourth set with an exquisite backhand winner and there was no looking back from there as he completed the victory by holding to love. "I went from feeling my absolute best for a set and a half to my absolute worst for about 45 minutes," Djokovic added. "Whether it was a stomach bug, I don't know what it was, but I just struggled with that. The energy kicked back in after some doctor's miracle pills. "I managed to finish the match on a good note."
