tennis

Former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic said he has been the “luckiest person” to live out his dreams as he announced his retirement from tennis.

The 35-year-old Canadian beat Roger Federer to reach the Wimbledon showpiece in 2016, where he fell to a straight-set defeat by Great Britain’s Andy Murray.

Raonic, who won eight tour-level titles, achieved a career-high world ranking of three that same year, having also reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

“The time has come, I am retiring from tennis,” Raonic posted on social media on Sunday.

“This is a moment you know will come one day, but somehow you never feel ready for it. This is as ready as I will ever be.

“Tennis has been my love and obsession for most of my life.”

Best known for his powerful serve, which earned him the nickname ‘Missile’, Raonic played his last match at the 2024 Olympics, losing in the first round to Germany’s Dominik Koepfer.

“I have been the luckiest person to get to live out and fulfil my dreams. I got to show up every day and focus on just getting better, seeing where that will take me, and playing a game I was introduced to at eight-year-old by complete luck,” he added.

“Somehow, this became my entire obsession and childhood, and then became my profession and life.”

Raonic was born in Titograd, Yugoslavia (now Podgorica, Montenegro) and moved to Canada when he was three years old. He won his first ATP title at the Pacific Coast Championships in 2011.

“What’s next? I won’t be slowing down. There is so much more life to live, and I am as motivated and hungry as I was in 2011, when I broke through on tour. I will put the same effort and intensity into the next thing,” he said.

Former world number one overcomes Brandon Nakashima in straight sets to stake his claim as an Australian Open contender.

Three-time Australian Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev has warmed up for an assault on this year’s opening Grand Slam in perfect fashion by winning the Brisbane International final.

The Russian world number 13 was too strong for American Brandon Nakashima on Sunday and ran out a 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) winner in 96 minutes at Pat Rafter Arena for his 22nd ATP Tour title.

Medvedev broke a shell-shocked Nakashima twice in the first set and looked on course for a quick victory.

Nakashima rallied in the second to force a tiebreak, but the towering Russian raced to a 5-0 lead in the breaker, and the match was as good as over.

“I started pretty strong, but then Brandon found his way back, saved some match points, then almost got it to a third set,” Medvedev said.

The Australian Open begins in Melbourne on January 18.

“It’s been a great start to the year,” said Medvedev, who made the final in Brisbane in 2019.

“I said then that I would try and come back and win it. I came back seven or eight years later, and I’m happy to hold the trophy.”

World no 1 becomes back-to-back champion at the Brisbane International with a straight sets victory over Marta Kostyuk.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka brushed aside Marta Kostyuk 6-4 6-3 in the Brisbane International final on Sunday to retain the title without losing a set ahead of her bid to reclaim the Australian Open title this month.

Kostyuk had beaten top 10 players Jessica Pegula, Mirra Andreeva and Amanda Anisimova on her way to the final but was no match for the sheer power of the US Open champion.

Sabalenka is determined to win back the Australian Open title she relinquished last year and her performance in the fierce Brisbane heat, suggests she will be hard to beat at Melbourne Park this month.

“Thank you to my team for handling me. I’m really the toughest one to handle, and you guys are the toughest people in the world if you can handle me,” she told the crowd before directing a comment at partner Georgios Frangulis in the stands.

“Thank you to my boyfriend. Hopefully, soon I’ll call you something else, right? Let’s just put a bit of extra pressure on, right?”

Sabalenka overpowers Kostyuk

Sabalenka raced off to a 3-0 lead in the opening set before coming a bit unstuck as her first serve deserted her and her 23-year-old opponent feasted on her second.

There were the familiar hangdog expressions as Sabalenka raised her eyes to the skies in reaction to spraying a shot high and wide, but it did not last for long.

Rallying at 3-3, Sabalenka reduced the number of wild swings and heaped the pressure on her 26th-ranked opponent with the sheer power and accuracy of her strokes.

She quickly wrapped up the opening set and was soon 3-0 up in the second after again taking Ukrainian Kostyuk’s first service game.

There was no way back for Kostyuk this time and she faced a real battle just to hold her serve three times before Sabalenka served out to secure her 22nd WTA title, sealing the deal when her opponent netted a return on her first championship point.

Kostyuk said her thoughts were with the people back home in her war-torn country.

“I play every day with a pain in my heart and there are thousands of people who are without light and warm water,” she said.

“Right now it’s minus 20 degrees outside, so it’s very, very painful to live this reality every day. It’s very hot here in Brisbane, so it’s difficult to imagine this, but my sister is sleeping under three blankets because of how cold it is at home.”

Sabalenka will be gunning for a third Australian Open and fifth major title at the year’s first Grand Slam, which starts on January 18.

The world No 1 expects to ‌skip events again this year and face likely sanctions rather than put her health at risk.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka has accused tennis authorities of “following their interests” and failing to put player welfare first over what she called an “insane” tennis season.

The Belarusian expects to ‌skip events this year rather than put her health at risk over ‍the course of ‍the season, even though she knows she is likely to be sanctioned by the WTA Tour for doing so, the world number one said on Thursday.

Top players are obliged to compete in all four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000 ⁠tournaments and six WTA 500 events under WTA rules, with the punishment for missing them ​ranging from rankings points deductions to fines.

In 2025, Sabalenka competed in ‍just three WTA 500 events – Brisbane, Stuttgart and Berlin – making her one of several high-ranked players, including world number two Iga Swiatek, to be docked ranking points.

Asked if she would change ‍her plans for ⁠2026, the four-time Grand Slam champion told reporters: “The season is definitely insane, and that’s not good for all of us, as you see so many players getting injured …

“The rules are quite tricky with mandatory events, but I’m still skipping a couple of events in order to protect my body, because I struggled a lot last season,” she said after beating Sorana Cirstea at the Brisbane ​International.

“Even though the results were really consistent, some of the ‌tournaments I had been playing completely sick or I’d been really exhausted from overplaying. This season, we will try to manage it a little bit better, even though they are going to fine me by ‌the end of the season.

“But it’s tricky to do that. You cannot skip 1000 events. It’s really tricky, and I ‌think that’s insane what they do. I think they ⁠just follow their interests, but they’re not focusing on protecting all of us.”

The number of events in the tennis calendar has been a frequent complaint in recent months among the sport’s biggest names.

Men’s world number one Carlos Alcaraz is another to have voiced concern about the amount of tennis he plays, although he has also signed up to feature in lucrative exhibition matches.

He faces great rival Jannik Sinner in one such event on Saturday in South Korea, barely a week before the Australian Open.

The men’s and women’s circuits have faced criticism due to their 11-month seasons, and both tours came under new scrutiny during the “Asian swing” towards ‌the end of last year, with injuries piling up.

Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek says tennis did not need the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka as the women’s game “stands on its own”.

Women’s number one Sabalenka and male player Kyrgios faced off in a highly publicised exhibition in Dubai a week ago.

Kyrgios won the match – played on a modified court designed to provide a level playing field – in straight sets.

But Swiatek says tennis has come a long way since the original ‘Battle of the Sexes’ between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973 which highlighted the women’s game fighting for legitimacy and prize money.

“I haven’t watched [Sabalenka v Kyrgios] because I don’t watch stuff like that,” the world number two said.

“I think for sure it attracted a lot of attention. It was entertainment, but I wouldn’t say that had anything to do with social change or any important topics.

“I think the name was just the same as the one from the Billie Jean King match in ’73. That’s it. There were no more similarities because I feel like women’s tennis stands on its own right now.

“We have so many great athletes and great stories to present, we don’t necessarily need to compare to men’s tennis.

“Honestly, there doesn’t need to be any competition.”

Swiatek said the mixed-team United Cup – which got under way in Australia on Friday – is a better way to celebrate men’s and women’s tennis.

Ties at the United Cup comprise of one men’s and one women’s singles match and a mixed doubles.

“Events like this one, United Cup, brings tennis together, and WTA fans and ATP fans can watch this event with so much excitement,” she said.

“Seeing also singles players that usually don’t have space to play mixed doubles together, playing these kind of matches, I think this is actually what makes our sport much more interesting and better.”

Emma Raducanu and Billy Harris are representing Great Britain at the tournament and play their first game against Japan in Perth on Sunday.

United States tennis legend Venus Williams returns to the Australian Open for the first time since 2021.

Seven-time major singles champion Venus Williams has been handed a wildcard to the Australian Open aged 45, becoming the oldest woman to play at the season-opening tennis Grand Slam.

The American, who has played only a limited number of singles matches in recent years, will compete in the main draw at Melbourne Park for the first time since 2021.

“I’m excited to be back in Australia and looking forward to competing during the Australian summer,” Williams said on Friday.

“I’ve had so many incredible memories there and I’m grateful for the opportunity to return to a place that has meant so much to my career.”

Williams is a five-time Wimbledon champion and also won two US Opens.

She was an Australian Open singles finalist in 2003 and 2017.

She will become the oldest woman to play at the Australian Open since Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round in 2015.

Williams, a four-time Australian Open doubles champion, is set to begin her preparations for the January 18-February 1 tournament at the Auckland Classic next week, having returned to the circuit at the US Open last year after a 16-month break.

She will then head to the Hobart International immediately before Melbourne.

Two-time Grand Slam champion and fellow American Coco Gauff said it was “incredible” to see Williams still turning up for tournaments.

“She’s a legend of the sport, so it will be cool to see her back in action,” she said.

“It’s incredible the longevity of her career. She’s one of the people I looked up to, so looking forward to seeing her back on court.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas says he considered retiring from tennis because of serious back pain during the 2025 season.

The 27-year-old has been as high as number three in the world and was runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the 2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open.

Now ranked 36th in the world after playing just two Davis Cup matches since a second-round exit at the US Open in August, he said he is finally seeing progress through ongoing medical treatment.

“I’m most excited to see how my actual training responds with regard to my back,” Tsitsipas said.

“My biggest concern was if I could finish a match,” added Tsitsipas, who said the injury had haunted him “for the last six or eight months”.

“I would ask, ‘Can I play another match without pain?'”

“I got really scared after the US Open loss [to Germany’s Daniel Altmaier]. I could not walk for two days. That’s when you reconsider the future of your career.”

Tsitsipas added he was satisfied with his current care plan after completing five weeks of off-season training without pain.

He will play for Greece, who are grouped with Naomi Osaka’s Japan and the Emma Raducanu-led Great Britain team in the United Cup, which will take place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, the week before the Australian Open.

“My biggest win for 2026 would be to not have to worry about finishing matches,” he said.

“It makes great feedback knowing you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it stays that way. I want to deliver for 2026 and the United Cup.

“I put in the work. The most important thing is full belief that I can come back to where I was. I will try everything to do that.”

The mother of a local tennis star joined Los Angeles County prosecutors on Monday in calling for stricter DUI penalties in California after they say her son was killed by a two-time drunk driver.

Braun Levi, an 18-year-old South Bay tennis standout, was struck and killed by a car in the early-morning hours of May 4 in Manhattan Beach.

According to Los Angeles County prosecutors, 33-year-old Jenia Resha Belt was behind the wheel, speeding while driving on a suspended license and with a blood alcohol level almost twice the legal limit. Belt, prosecutors say, has a previous conviction for driving drunk.

“California’s current DUI laws are broken and weak and fail to protect families like ours, and it’s devastating,” Braun’s mother, Jennifer Levi, said at a news conference Monday. “His death haunts my every breath, every day.”

Although his parents were proud of his athletic and academic achievements, they were most proud of how he treated other people, Levi said. “He had a smile for everybody. He had a heart for everybody. I miss him so much.”

In light of her son’s death, Levi said she would work with state Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera), whose granddaughter died after being hit by a drunk driver last year, to write and pass a bill that will restructure the state’s DUI penalty laws and requirements, she said.

“The feeling, the sight, the smell of identifying our son’s body will never leave my mind, body or soul, so I will not be silent,” she said.

The SoCal athlete, who died a month before his high school graduation after entering the top national ranks in boys tennis, is part of a larger trend of DUI-related deaths over the last 15 years, according to a CalMatters investigative series that L.A. Dist. Atty. Nathan J. Hochman referenced.

Roadway deaths have been steadily rising since 2010, partially due to repeat drunk drivers and people driving over the speed limit, CalMatters reported. Alcohol-related deaths have increased by 50% over the last decade, according to the investigation.

“Braun should be home right now from his first semester at UVA, spending the holidays with his family, their first as a family still displaced by the Palisades fire,” said Councilmember Traci Park, whose district includes Pacific Palisades.

“He should be planning his future, not being remembered for the way his life was taken from him.”

California’s DUI laws, although considered to be nation-leading in the 1980s, have fallen behind the curve, Hochman said.

Hochman warned drivers, especially ahead of the New Year’s Day holiday, that his office would continue to charge them — and potentially those who over-serve alcohol at bars or parties — with serious crimes.

“We are here to prevent crimes and send crystal clear messages to would-be drunk and drug drivers, to people who want to engage in excessive speed on our roads: We will come after you,” Hochman said, calling the issue a “fight for people’s lives.”

Belt is charged with second-degree murder, felony gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and a misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended license after a DUI. She is being held on $2-million bail and faces life in prison if convicted.

Belt’s arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 13.

Kyrgios, who is currently 671st in men’s rankings, beat the four-time Grand Slam singles champion in straight sets.

Nick Kyrgios beat women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the “Battle of the Sexes”, in a highly-publicised showdown with modified rules that divided tennis fans.

Former Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios won 6-3, 6-3 in an exhibition match in Dubai on Sunday that bore little resemblance to the era-defining 1973 encounter between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

Back then, there was more at stake with the nascent women’s professional tour, set up by King, fighting for its legitimacy and prize money for female players still far lower than for the men.

King, one of the all-time greats of the women’s game who was at the peak of her powers, saw off the 55-year-old Riggs, a top player in his day, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in Houston.

On Sunday, each player received only one serve and the dimensions of Sabalenka’s side of the court were nine percent smaller, in an attempt to restrict Kyrgios’ power and speed advantage.

Kyrgios has dropped to 671 in the rankings after playing just six ATP matches over the past three seasons, but the 30-year-old Australian still had enough to see off four-time Grand Slam singles champion Sabalenka.

The maverick Australian was drenched in sweat and appeared out of breath in the second set ‌after going 1-3 down, while his opponent danced to the music ‌during a strategic timeout, but he ⁠persevered to make it 3-3 after Belarusian Sabalenka sent a shot long.

Kyrgios, who shortened the points with cheeky drop shots ‌and used variations on his serve to good effect, pulled away to seal the win on serve ‍before sharing a warm hug with Sabalenka at the net.

“Honestly, it was a really tough match. She’s a hell of a competitor,” said Kyrgios.

“I had to strap in because she was putting the pressure on and ultimately it was a really hard-fought battle.”

Sabalenka said she would “love” a rematch.

“I felt great. I put on a great fight. He was struggling. He was getting tired. I was happy to see that,” she said.

“It was a great level [of tennis]. I made a lot of great shots. I really enjoyed the show. I feel like next time when I play him I know all his tactics and strengths.”

EXPLAINER

In a revamp of the 1973 mixed singles match, Aryna Sabalenka will play Nick Kyrgios on Sunday in Dubai.

Who: Aryna Sabalenka vs Nick Kyrgios
What: “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition tennis match
Where: Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
When: Sunday at 7.45pm (15:45 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka will take on Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios in a “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition tennis match in Dubai on Sunday.

Sabalenka, 27, will face the 30-year-old former Wimbledon finalist in a modern rendition of tennis icon Billie Jean King’s 1973 showdown with fellow American Bobby Riggs, which turned out to be a watershed moment for both tennis and the women’s movement.

Here is all to know before their much anticipated showdown:

How did the Sabalenka-Kyrgios match come about?

Kyrgios, who was ranked as high as 13 in the world in men’s singles, threw down the gauntlet to Sabalenka during the US Open in September, saying in an interview he would easily dispatch the Belarusian without having to try “100 percent to win”.

He said women cannot return professional men’s serves and claimed he would defeat the world’s top-ranked female player.

Sabalenka responded by saying she was ready to “kick a**”, which eventually led to Evolve, the marketing agency that represents both players, organising this weekend’s matchup.

What’s the history behind the ‘Battle of the Sexes’?

The original “Battle of the Sexes” took place in 1973 between King, then 29, and Riggs, 55, at the Houston Astrodome.

King, a 12-time singles Grand Slam champion, made history when she defeated the former men’s world number one amateur player 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in a matchup that drew an estimated 90 million TV viewers worldwide.

King’s straight-sets victory was considered a pivotal moment for women’s sport at the time and solidified her status as a sports and feminist icon of her generation.

What are the rules for ‘Battle of the Sexes’?

Sabalenka, speaking on the Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube show on December 9, said it would be “really tough” to compete against a male player of Kyrgios’s standard using a full court and standard rules.

As a result, there are several rule modifications for this match:

• The players will be limited to just one serve instead of two.
• Sabalenka’s side of the court will be 9 percent smaller than a normal tennis court.
• It will be a best-of-three-sets contest – with a 10-point tiebreaker in the final set if required.

What has Sabalenka said about the match?

“I’m proud to represent women’s tennis and to be part of this modern take of the iconic Battle of the Sexes match,” Sabalenka said in a news release.

“Dubai is my home, and I know this city loves big, entertaining events. I have a lot of respect for Nick and his talent, but make no mistake, I’m ready to bring my A-game.”

What has Kyrgios said about the match?

Kyrgios said he’ll defeat the four-time Grand Slam champion without having to try hard.

“I think she’s the type of player who genuinely thinks she’s going to win,” Kyrgios said.

“She is not gonna beat me. Do you really think I have to try 100 percent? I’m gonna try because I’m representing the men’s side. I’d say like 6-2 maybe.”

“I think I’m going to be OK. I’m going to go there, and I don’t want her to win. That’s for sure,” he added.

Is oft-injured Kyrgios planning a return to professional tennis?

Kyrgios will compete at ‍next month’s ‍Brisbane International after receiving a wildcard entry, organisers said on Sunday, as he works towards a potential ​return to the 2026 Australian Open.

His career has been ravaged by injury over the past couple of ‍years, and ⁠he played only five singles matches in 2025, the most recent at the Miami Open in March.

Kyrgios, the 2018 Brisbane champion, is now ranked ​673rd in the ‌world with no protected ranking and will also need a wildcard to compete at Melbourne ‌Park.

How to watch the ‘Battle of the Sexes’

The match is being broadcast live and free in the United Kingdom on BBC 1 and streamed on BBC iPlayer.

Please check local guides for access in other countries.

Al Jazeera will provide live text commentary of the match.

An allegedly intoxicated driver who hit and killed high school tennis star Braun Levi in Manhattan Beach was charged with murder Tuesday, authorities said.

Jenia Resha Belt, 33, of Los Angeles also faces charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license, said Pamela Johnson, a spokesperson for the L.A. County district attorney’s office.

Around 12:46 a.m. on May 4, Belt struck Braun, who was walking near Sepulveda Boulevard and 2nd Street, authorities said.

Belt, who was arrested at the scene, had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit and was driving on a suspended license from a prior DUI arrest, according to court records. Four passengers inside the car fled the area after the collision.

Belt was released in June and then apprehended again months later.

Braun’s parents, who lost their home in the Palisades fire and relocated to the South Bay, filed a $200-million wrongful death lawsuit against Belt in November.

Their son was a standout at Loyola High School and had been slated to play tennis at the University of Virginia. The Levis started the Live Like Braun Foundation in his memory.

Belt is in custody on $2 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, Johnson said.

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman and Jennifer Levi, Braun’s mother, plan to discuss the charges at a news conference Monday.

Times staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.

Tennis legend Venus Williams wed Danish model and actor Andrea Preti over the weekend in Florida, the new bride announced in a shared post.

An Instagram post from Vogue Magazine’s Weddings section announced the nuptials, with the message garnering more than 30,000 likes as of Tuesday afternoon.

“We all love each other so much,” Williams, 45, said in the Vogue post. “It was just the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day.”

The post was scant on details other than the event took place over five days in and around the couple’s home in Palm Beach Gardens.

An email for comment to representatives for Williams and Preti, 37, was not immediately returned.

The couple met at 2024 Milan Fashion Week and began texting shortly after, according to Vogue.

The couple eventually became engaged on Jan. 31 in Tuscany, according to Vogue. That detail was confirmed in July during what was a historic month for Williams.

The Compton native defeated 23-year-old Peyton Sterns 6-3, 6-4 in the first round action of the D.C. Open after a 16-month hiatus from singles matches.

In victory, Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match, trailing only fellow legend Martina Navratilova, who was 47 when she won in 2004.

“Yes, my fiance is here, and he really encouraged me to keep playing,” Williams told the Tennis Channel’s Rennae Stubbs in a post-match interview. “There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. … He encouraged me to get through this, and it’s wonderful [for him] to be here. He’s never seen me play.”

Preti has written, acted and directed in a handful of films, primarily in Italy.

The wedding was the second for the couple, who also held a ceremony in Italy in September.