sport

Nick Kyrgios pushed the world number three to the brink at the Australian Open on Friday night, riding the raucous support of the crowd. But some still don’t like what he brings to tennis.

First in doubt and then delayed, the Australian Open is set to begin. But can the drama of coronavirus-positive international arrivals, hotel quarantine fears and social media volleys be eclipsed by actual action on the courts?

The Australian Open is shaping up to be a very different tournament in 2021, with dozens of competitors forced into strict hotel quarantine. While some players have taken to social media to vent their frustration, others say the move has only widened a gulf that has always existed between tennis’s stars and the rank and file.

A quarter-finals appearance at the US Open was Alex de Minaur’s best on-court performance to date, but the world No. 23 rates making it through the mental challenges and disruptions of 2020 as his biggest achievement.

Grand slam tennis has returned with Australian players including James Duckworth having headed into the US Open ‘bubble’. Journeyman Matt Reid, however, opted to sit out the tournament at home, swapping his racquet for a hammer and chisel at a Sydney quarry.

While other former Australian tennis champions court controversy, Rod Laver, the only player to achieve two grand slams, continues to be lauded as Australia’s greatest living sportsman.

She won her first WTA singles match in 2003 and went on to become a doubles world No. 1 and US Open singles champion – by beating Serena Williams, no less. But Sam Stosur isn’t done yet.

While the recent Matildas pay deal is a welcome boost for gender equality in sport, women athletes – Ash Barty aside – still have a long way to go to reach equal pay with their male counterparts.

As Australia sets itself for its first Fed Cup final since 1993, team captain Alicia Molik reflects on her own on-court highs and lows and assesses what makes world No. 1 Ash Barty so special.