The ATP calendar is very long and the first Grand Slam of the season represents only an appetizer of a long series of tournaments that will characterize a very important season for several top players.

Ukraine’s 30-year-old Elina Svitolina, the wife of celebrated Frenchman Gael Monfils and mother to their two-year-old daughter, Skai, reached the final eight in Melbourne for the first time in six years – “a lifetime ago” – by beating Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 6-1. As always, she refused to shake the hand of a Russian opponent.

Naomi Osaka, a two-time champion in Australia, stopped playing because of a strained abdominal muscle after dropping the first set of her match against Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic.

FILE - Italy’s Jannik Sinner returns the ball to Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor during the Davis Cup final tennis match between Netherlands and Italy at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

Mike McClure joins Tommy Tran to share his wager for the Novak Djokovic-Carlos Alcaraz match in the Australian Open quarterfinal.

Novak Djokovic refused to let anything stop his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam trophy in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Djokovic overcame it all, just as he has so often along the way to so many triumphs,

Novak Djokovic was at the centre of another Australian Open row on Monday while Iga Swiatek will be desperate to avoid a major shock and Jannik Sinner is also eyeing

Novak Djokovic was at the centre of another Australian Open row on Monday while Jannik Sinner needed medical attention in fierce heat to battle into the quarter-finals and Iga Swiatek won easily.Djokovic has been at the centre of controversy before at the Australian Open,