Tennis

MUMBAI: India’s Davis Cup tie against Pakistan at Islamabad this month must be played at a neutral venue after the latest advice from the International Tennis Federation’s independent security advisors, the world governing body said on Monday. The Asia/Oceania Group I tie, originally scheduled for September 14-15 in Islamabad, was postponed by the ITF to November 29-30 following a security ...

Australian tennis superstar Ash Barty has made history in beating defending champion Elina Svitolina at the $14 million WTA Finals. It wasn’t an easy victory, as Barty was tested further in the second set, but ran out the eventual winner 6-4, 6-3. Barty had won two of her round robin matches before the final, so she pocketed a cool $6.4 ...

Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Paris Masters with an abdominal injury just minutes before the scheduled start of his semi-final against Denis Shapovalov on Saturday, and admitted his participation at the ATP Tour Finals was in doubt. Canadian youngster Shapovalov will face Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final in the French capital. Second seed Nadal could have secured the year-end ...

SHENZHEN, China: An indefatigable Elina Svitolina came from behind to outlast a hobbled Belinda Bencic in a gruelling semi-final on Saturday, continuing her dogged quest to defend her WTA Finals title. The world number eight worked over an ailing Bencic with a comeback 5-7, 6-3, 4-1 victory in one hour and 50 minutes at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre. The ...

World’s number three Roger Federer announced on Monday that he was withdrawing from this week’s Paris Masters in order to “pace” himself for the next year. “I am extremely disappointed to have to pull out of the Paris Masters,” he said in a statement. “I have to pace myself since I want to play as long as possible on the ...

BASEL: Roger Federer will check off another landmark today when he starts his bid for a 10th Basel title by playing the 1,500th match of his career. The 38-year-old begins his bid for his 103rd title against German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has beaten the German twice — including at Indian Wells last March. “My preparation ...

MOSCOW: World number 10 Belinda Bencic booked her place at the season-ending WTA Finals in Shenzhen with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Kristina Mladenovic in the Kremlin Cup semi-finals on Saturday. The 22-year-old Swiss needed to reach the final and outperform Kiki Bertens, who lost to Mladenovic in the quarter-finals, to secure her berth in the singles at Shenzhen. She ...

MADRID: Rafael Nadal married his partner of 14 years, Xisca Perello, at a castle in Mallorca on Saturday. Nadal, the 19-time grand slam champion, tied the knot with 31-year-old Perello at La Fortaleza, with a reported 350 guests invited to a private ceremony. Juan Carlos I, the king of Spain from 1975 to 2014, was believed to be among those ...

PARIS- Roger Federer announced Monday he will compete at next year’s Tokyo Olympics in a bid to win the men’s singles gold medal, the only major prize he has yet to obtain. “I’ve been debating with my team for a few weeks now, months actually, what I should do in the summer time (of 2020) after Wimbledon and before the ...

Daniil Medvedev won his fourth title of a spectacular year with a thumping 6-4, 6-1 victory over Alexander Zverev in the Shanghai Masters final on Sunday. Victory for the 23-year-old Russian, contesting a sixth final in a row, was more evidence that he is the prime contender to join the “Big Three” of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. ...