Tennis
Andy Murray’s Role in Novak Djokovic Partnership: A Tale of Praise or Criticism?
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Andy Roddick thinks Andy Murray is set to face either excessive praise or unfair blame, depending on how his coaching partnership with Novak Djokovic turns out.
The 2003 US Open champion also argued Djokovic hiring Murray “makes sense in so many ways” because he thinks there are few people who the Serb “respects enough to actually consider their opinions.”
In the first round of the 2025 Australian Open, Djokovic battled back from a set down to beat 19-year-old American Nishesh Basavareddy in four sets, marking the 37-year-old icon’s debut match with Andy Murray as his coach.
Djokovic and Murray, once fierce rivals who clashed in 36 memorable matches, stunned the tennis world in November by announcing their unexpected partnership.
Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1, ended his illustrious playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Meanwhile, Djokovic is chasing a record-breaking 11th Australian Open title and his 25th major overall in Melbourne, where he enters the tournament as the seventh seed.
Former world No. 1 Andy Roddick, who faced Murray 11 times and Djokovic nine times before retiring in 2012, shared a fascinating prediction about their collaboration.
“Here’s what I think is going to happen: If Novak does really well, we’re going to give Andy Murray – who I think has one of the highest tennis IQs ever – too much credit,” the 32-time ATP titlist told Betway. “And if something weird happens, we’re going to give Murray too much blame.
“Novak’s not going to change too much from what has got him to 24 Slams and 10 titles in Australia.
“It’s as simple as this – there are very few people that Novak can sit across from at dinner and talk about tennis and strategy, who understand the moment and what he’s trying to do, and whose brain he respects enough to actually consider their opinions. I think Andy Murray is one of those few, so it makes sense in so many ways.
“The common ground with both is that there was never any stone left unturned. They’re both still extremely curious, despite all their successes. It does help that they’ve known each other for so long.
“I worked with Jimmy Connors and we didn’t know each other before we got together, and while it was a super beneficial relationship, there was this ice-breaking part of it. They can just skip right over that, which is a massive benefit for Novak at this point in his career.
“I’m not ever going to undersell anyone making the semis of a Grand Slam, because I know that’s really hard, but I don’t think Novak is playing for quarter-finals now. He might play great and lose, but he won’t leave saying: ‘Well, we did our best.’
“Having Tomas Machac and Reilly Opelka in his part of the draw is brutal, and with Alcaraz potentially in the quarter-finals it doesn’t get any easier. But as my friend Paul Annacone says, you write the greats off at your own peril.”
Djokovic is set to take on 21-year-old Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria in the second round of the hard-court Grand Slam on Wednesday.
Tennis
Tennis tournament plagued by food poisoning as three top stars drop out
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The Mexican Open faced a setback on Wednesday as food poisoning led to several top-seeded players withdrawing before or during their matches.
Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul were unable to compete in their last-16 matches, allowing their opponents to advance to the quarter-finals without playing.
Meanwhile, fourth seed Holger Rune managed only three games before retiring, later confirming that he, too, was affected by food poisoning.
“Furious and so sad at the same time. Had a food poisoning and was unable to play today,” the 21-year-old tweeted.
“One of my favorite places is Mexico and I love this tournament @AbiertoTelcel . Absolutely not the way I wanted it to end.”
Third-seeded Tommy Paul withdrew from the Acapulco tournament due to stomach issues, while World No. 5 Casper Ruud revealed he had been dealing with an illness for the past day.
Sharing the news on Instagram, the three-time Grand Slam finalist wrote, “I’m so sorry I had to pull out tonight.”
“I was hoping to overcome this stomach illness that showed up yesterday and tried everything I could to be able to play tonight, until the very last moment.”
The tournament saw more big names exit on Wednesday, as top seed Alexander Zverev was upset in straight sets by teenage qualifier Learner Tien. Reports suggested Zverev may have also been affected by food poisoning.
Rising American talent Alex Michelsen fell to Denis Shapovalov in three sets, calling for a trainer during the match due to what appeared to be an illness.
Meanwhile, fifth seed Ben Shelton was eliminated by David Goffin, though his loss was not believed to be illness-related.
Following the wave of withdrawals and upsets in Acapulco, organizers of the MGM Rewards Slam exhibition in Las Vegas postponed this weekend’s men’s event. Zverev, Ruud, and Paul, who were all scheduled to compete, are now thought to be dealing with food poisoning. Taylor Fritz was also in the lineup but had already pulled out earlier in the week due to an abdominal injury.
The four top players were originally set to face off in Las Vegas on Sunday, but a new date for the event has not been announced. However, the MGM Rewards Slam women’s match between Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka will still take place on Saturday.
Tennis
The 6 women to be ranked at No 1 in singles and doubles at same time
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Reaching the No. 1 spot in the WTA singles rankings is an incredible accomplishment—but imagine being the top-ranked doubles player as well. That alone is an impressive feat.
Now, take it a step further—being ranked No. 1 in both singles and doubles at the same time. Only six women in history have achieved this extraordinary milestone, with one of them standing in a league of her own.
Since the WTA Rankings were introduced in 1975, a total of 29 women have held the No. 1 singles ranking, while 49 players have led the doubles rankings. However, only eight players have reached the top in both categories, and just six of them managed to do so simultaneously.
Current singles world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has also achieved the rare singles-doubles No. 1 double, but not at the same time—she reached the top in doubles in 2021 before securing the No. 1 singles ranking in 2024.
Similarly, Venus Williams is missing from the list, as she was No. 1 in doubles from June to August 2010, but her singles No. 1 reign came in 2002.
The 6 women to be ranked at No 1 in singles and doubles at the same time:
5. Kim Clijsters – 3 weeks
Belgian tennis legend Kim Clijsters is a six-time Grand Slam champion, having won four singles titles and two doubles titles in her illustrious career.
She held the No. 1 spot in singles for a total of 20 weeks and topped the doubles rankings for four weeks. Impressively, she was ranked No. 1 in both categories simultaneously for three weeks.
Clijsters achieved this rare feat from August 18 to September 7, 2003.
5. Lindsay Davenport – 3 weeks
Lindsay Davenport sits joint-fifth for holding the world No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles simultaneously for three weeks.
The American first claimed the No. 1 spot in doubles in 1997, followed by her singles No. 1 debut in 1998. However, she achieved the rare singles-doubles No. 1 double from April 17 to May 7, 2000.
A three-time Grand Slam singles champion and three-time doubles major winner, Davenport spent a total of 98 weeks as the world No. 1 in singles and 32 weeks atop the doubles rankings.
4. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario – 7 weeks
Spanish legend Arantxa Sánchez Vicario achieved the rare feat of holding the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles on three separate occasions.
In total, she spent 111 weeks as the world No. 1 in doubles and 12 weeks at the top in singles.
Her first singles-doubles No. 1 stint lasted one week in February 1995 (13-19), followed by a two-week reign from March 27 to April 9. She then had her longest stretch, four weeks from May 15 to June 11, cementing her place among the sport’s elite.
3. Serena Williams – 8 weeks
Tennis icon Serena Williams amassed an incredible 23 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 doubles major titles, all won alongside her sister Venus Williams. She also completed both the singles and doubles Career Grand Slam.
Williams held the world No. 1 singles ranking for 319 weeks, the third-most in WTA history behind Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova. In doubles, she spent eight weeks at No. 1, all between June 7 and August 1, 2010, a period when she was also the top-ranked singles player.
2. Martina Hingis – 29 weeks
Martina Hingis ranks fifth all-time for the most weeks spent as world No. 1 in singles, holding the top spot for 209 weeks. She also enjoyed 90 weeks as the No. 1 doubles player.
The Swiss star won a total of five Grand Slam singles titles, 13 women’s doubles titles, and seven mixed doubles titles, with a career spanning from January 1997 to September 2017.
Hingis achieved the rare feat of being No. 1 in both singles and doubles simultaneously on five separate occasions. Her first stint lasted eight weeks from June 8 to August 2, 1998, followed by another eight-week period from August 17 to October 11.
In 1999, she topped both rankings for four weeks (June 7 – July 4) and again for two weeks (August 9-22). Her final seven-week reign at the top of both rankings occurred from January 31 to March 19, 2000.
1. Martina Navratilova – 103 weeks
Martina Navratilova cemented her legacy as one of tennis’ greatest players, winning 59 Grand Slam titles—18 in singles, 31 in women’s doubles, and 10 in mixed doubles.
She dominated the No. 1 rankings, spending 332 weeks atop the singles list (second only to Steffi Graf’s 377 weeks) and holding the No. 1 doubles spot for a record 237 weeks.
Navratilova was the first player to achieve the remarkable feat of being No. 1 in both singles and doubles simultaneously, and her reigns were nothing short of historic. Her first stint lasted an incredible 39 weeks, from September 10, 1984, to June 9, 1985. She briefly returned to the top in both rankings for two weeks (October 14-27, 1985).
Her third spell was the most dominant, as she held both No. 1 rankings for over a year, from June 9, 1986, to August 16, 1987—a record-breaking reign.
Tennis
Novak Djokovic told ’emotional’ issue which ‘usually never happened’ has emerged
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Former world No. 21 Steve Johnson has raised doubts about Novak Djokovic’s “plan,” questioning the Serbian’s decision to compete at the Qatar Open.
Djokovic suffered a 7-6(4), 6-2 defeat to Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the ATP 500 event in Doha last week. His participation in Qatar came shortly after a hamstring tear forced him out of the Australian Open.
The 37-year-old sustained the injury during his quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz in Melbourne but was unable to continue past the opening set of his semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev.
Despite Djokovic insisting he felt fine following his early exit in Doha, a video surfaced showing him limping at the airport.
With his sights set on a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title and his 100th career singles title in 2025, Djokovic’s recent form has raised concerns. Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, Johnson noted that the world No. 7 has appeared emotionally flat more frequently in recent times.
“I am not sure what Novak’s plan is going forward, nobody knows it but him,” the American said. “I don’t know why he is playing this tournament just in general.
“It feels like he just wants to win Slams to continue his legacy and stamp as the greatest champion of the sport we have ever seen.
“There is obviously financial obligations and commitments he has made in the past, we don’t know exactly what it takes for him to play these types of events.
“It just feels as if he is not as motivated to win in Dubai or Doha than he is to win a Slam, which is rightfully so, because that’s the only thing which can further his legacy.
“Good to see him out there playing, I thought we weren’t going to see him until Indian Wells and just play some of the Masters series to win the French [Open], win Wimby [Wimbledon]. So interesting to see him out there.
“It sometimes feels that he is a bit flat emotionally, which has usually never been the case for him.
“So he has earned the right to play whatever schedule he deserves and wants to do.
“It’s a tough draw going against Berrettini who played really well that match, the serve, the forehand. Everything was going well.
“So it’s just interesting to watch Novak in these events because the Doha title is not going to further his legacy, so I’m not sure his emotional investment.”
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