PHOTO MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Former US Champion Billie Jean King
(Melbourne) Former American champion Billie Jean King has asked the organizers of the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament to lift the ban on Russian and Belarusian players playing the London tournament on Wednesday in Melbourne.
“Do like the others [tournois du Grand Chelem] […] Life is too short,” Billie Jean King told reporters on the sidelines of the Australian Open, as the All England Tennis Club, organizer of the English tournament, plans to maintain this coercive measure, taken last year. in retaliation against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
“I think they should get the bonuses. Let them play and get their money,” BJK added.
The champion with 12 Grand Slam titles also declared herself in favor of the attribution of points, acquired according to the results and which determine the world ranking.
Rybakina only inherited (at the Australian Open where the Kazakh qualified for the semi-finals) the seeded N.22, and no better, when she won at Wimbledon (last year) , was offended Billie Jean King.
In 2022, after coming under pressure from the government to impose a ban, the British Tennis Federation (LTA) and the All England Tennis Club banned Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon.
In the process, the ATP and the WTA, which govern the men’s and women’s circuits, replied that this 2022 edition of the Grand Slam tournament would not bring points in the standings.
The other three Grand Slam tournaments – Australian Open, Roland-Garros and US Open – allow Russian and Belarusian players to play, to pocket their bonuses and their points, but under a neutral banner.
1er January, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who qualified for Thursday’s women’s singles semi-finals at the Australian Open, felt that the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon last year had served no purpose and that she “really hoped” for a change of course in 2023.
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
January 25, Australian Open 2026 Ukrainian youth started.
In the main draws of the competition, Ukraine is represented by one tennis player and three tennis players: Nikita Belozertsev, Antonina Sushkova, Sofia Belinskaya and Polina Sklyar.
All four Ukrainian teenagers won their starting matches and advanced to the 1/16 final.
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina She held a press conference after defeating Mirra Andreeva in the 1/8 final of the Australian Open 2026:
– Elina, congratulations on reaching the quarter-finals here for the fourth time. What does it feel like?
– Yeah, that’s great. Another chance to play in the semi-finals. But I am very happy with the match, and I am also very happy with my performance today. I think I implemented the plan well. I am very pleased with the result.
– Your next opponent will be Coco. If we talk about the preparations for this match in terms of temperature, I believe that the conditions will be similar to yesterday, at the same temperature. I know you don’t know when and where you’ll play yet. How do you prepare for conditions where temperatures will be very high?
– I didn’t actually think about it. I tried to prepare for today’s match. Someone told me a few days ago that it would be hot on Tuesday. So I’ll have to prepare. I think the preparations will start tomorrow with fluid intake and trying to stay calm. I think it’s important to prepare as much as you can, but we’ll both be in the same conditions. It is important to use tomorrow just to rest and prepare for this intense heat.
– You had incredible matches with Coco. What are your expectations and what do you need to do to reach your target semi-final?
– I need to discuss the plan with the coach and understand how to implement it. We had difficult matches, the last two I think were in three sets. We made the final in Auckland and the US Open a few years ago. We know each other’s game well. It is important to work on some points tomorrow, meet with the coach and be prepared for extreme heat. We will play not only against each other, but also against the conditions in which we will have to play in the heat.
– Is it more convenient for you to play in the daylight or under the roof?
– Of course, it’s better to play later. But I don’t decide the program. Maybe one match will be in the afternoon and the other in the evening. In the evening the weather is more pleasant, although the ball will still fly faster due to the heat, but in general everything will be fine.
– Considering the previous three quarter-finals, what does it mean to you to reach the semi-finals?
“Of course it means a lot to me, but I don’t want to think about it too much.” This is another opportunity to go far in the tournament. I want to focus on recovery and the game plan I need to execute well. These are my priorities now. If everything goes well, we will have a chance to win the next match.
– What gives you the confidence that you can take your game a step or two further?
– We did our pre-season preparations well. We worked on a lot of things on tactical issues. It was important to analyze what went well in 2025 and understand what could be improved and how. We worked with statistics, looked at where I could improve my serving, receiving and other aspects of the game. It opened my eyes to some things that I continue to work on. Everything is going well but the year is long, we have to keep going. The main priority is to stay in shape.
We made our pre-season preparations well. We worked on a few things. We worked on many tactical issues. It was important for me in 2025 to analyze what I did well and try to find where and how I could improve; We noticed a few tactical points. We worked with statistics to understand where I could improve my serving, receiving and overall game. It’s really opened my eyes to some things and I’m trying to work on them. I think it’s working so far but it’s been a long year so I need to keep going. I think the priority is still to stay fit.
– In your match against Mirra today, you won 15 of 20 points on her second serve – 75%. Was this planned? How much did that help you win in straight sets?
“It was important for me to apply pressure. Because if I let him get ahead in the rally, he can hit the ball very well to score points. He knows how to win matches, how to win tournaments. So for me it was important to try to take the initiative first and find a way to win because he is a very cunning tennis player. He changes the tempo, the length of the strokes. So you have to adapt very quickly and make split-second decisions to go to the ball or direct the ball to the right place.”
– Today Alexandra Oleynikova again commented on the situation with the war and stated that she was not happy that Arina Sabalenka had large advertising contracts. Do you have any thoughts about Russian and Belarusian players, their sponsorship deals and participation in Tours?
“I really have nothing to say about this.” I don’t know exactly what you said, so I don’t know.
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
(Melbourne) World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz qualified for the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Sunday by beating American Tommy Paul (20e) 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, 7-5 and has still not lost a single set in the tournament.
“The level was very high on both sides so I am very happy to have won in three sets,” began the Spaniard.
In particular, he was able to count on his formidable service and was pleased with it.
“I impressed myself,” he underlined, saying that at the end of each set he looked at his first ball statistics displayed on the court screens.
“I’ve been working on it for a long time so I’m happy that my first serve percentage is good,” he added.
He will face the Australian Alex De Minaur (6e) for a place in the last four which he has never reached before in Melbourne.
Alcaraz is looking at 22 for a first title in Melbourne, his seventh in Majors. Winner at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the United States Open, Alcaraz has never made it past the quarter-finals in Australia reached in 2024 and 2025.
Easy for Zverev
PHOTO TINGSHU WANG, REUTERS
Alexander Zverev
World No.3 Alexander Zverev won 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday against Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo (21e) to advance to the quarter-finals.
After dropping a set in each of his first three matches in Melbourne, the finalist of the last edition this time left little room for doubt against a player who was playing his first round of 16 at the Australian Open at the age of 27.
By beating Cerundolo, Zverev secured a third victory in six duels against the Argentine. The 28-year-old German lost all three matches played on clay and won all three played on hard court.
After a first set pocketed 6-2 in thirty minutes, Zverev encountered more resistance in the second set. Trailing 5-2, Cerundolo managed his first break of the game and then came back to 5-4.
The world No.3, however, gave him no chance in the following game, won without conceding a single point and concluded with an ace.
Initially balanced, the third set turned upside down when Zverev chained a break and a shutout on his serve to break away at 5-3, then 6-4 after 2 hours 12 of play.
A three-time Grand Slam finalist, Zverev will face the young American Learner Tien in the next round.
Tien eliminates Medvedev
PHOTO DAVID GRAY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Learner Tien
The American Learner Tien, 29e world, did not leave the slightest chance to the Russian Daniil Mededev (12e) to take his revenge on last year and beat him 6-4, 6-0, 6-4, Sunday in the round of 16 where he will play his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
“It’s crazy… I’m so happy,” Tien said before leaving the court, a huge smile lighting up his face, eyes darting around the stands as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Last year in the second round, Tien, who came from qualifying, eliminated the Russian in five sets. The rest of the season was dark for Medvedev, in Majors in particular where he was beaten in the first round at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the United States Open.
Medvedev held his own in the first set, but was then completely overwhelmed by an opponent who had everything successful.
After losing 11 games in a row between 5-4 in the first set and 4-0 in the third, Medvedev won his service game to stop the bleeding. Better, he came back to 3-4. But the comeback stopped there, the American winning the next two games and the match, concluded with an exceptional final shot: a long backhand line passing on a smash from Medvedev.
Tien is the youngest player to reach the quarter-finals in Melbourne since Nick Kyrgios in 2015.
De Minaur versus Alcaraz
PHOTO AARON FAVILA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Alex De Minaur
Australian Alex De Minaur (6e world) swept away Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik (10th) on Sundaye) to enjoy a prestigious duel against circuit boss Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.
The last local player competing in Melbourne, the 26-year-old right-hander won 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 and reached his second quarter-final in a row at the Australian Open.
The Sydney native had been beaten by Bublik in their last two duels, notably suffering a defeat in five sets at Roland Garros after leading two sets to nothing.
De Minaur had never before eliminated a member of the top 10 at the Australian Open.
Djokovic takes advantage of Mensik’s package
PHOTO IZHAR KHAN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Jakub Mensik
The Czech Jakub Mensik withdrew due to injury on Sunday on the eve of his round of 16 against Novak Djokovic, who thus finds himself qualified without playing for the quarter-finals, the organizers announced.
“It’s an unfortunate decision to make. After the last two matches, I had more and more pain and the problem comes from the left side of my abdominal muscles,” explains the 17e world player in statements sent by the tournament organization.
“Enter the court tomorrow [lundi] would be taking too big a risk for the following weeks, for my next tournaments and simply for my health,” he adds.
Djokovic (4e) will therefore face on Wednesday the winner of the quarter-final which will oppose the Italian Lorenzo Musetti (5e) to the American Taylor Fritz (9e).
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
Nikita Belozertsev [6] – 
