#naomi-osaka

#naomi-osaka

In hindsight, this French Open was probably destined to come down to a moment like the one that unfolded Tuesday.For 10 days in Paris, and for months on the women's professional tennis tour, Ukrainian players have made it clear that they will not shake hands with players from Russia or Belarus after their matches.

Long day for the Andreeva family.First came an early rise to get Mirra, a 16-year-old Russian, ready for her 11 a.m.French Open debut against Alison Riske-Amritraj of the United States.Mirra was as efficient as they come, finishing her match Tuesday in 56 minutes by improvising an array of easy, smooth winners against an opponent twice her age.

MELBOURNE, Australia Keep fighting, Serena Williams said to an 18-year-old Sania Mirza when they met at the net after a match at the Australian Open.That was in January 2005, and Mirza, strong-minded to begin with, took even more strength from the advice.A Muslim from Hyderabad, India, who started playing tennis on courts made of cow dung, Mirza became the most successful women's tennis player in India's history at an early age but kept pushing for more, experiencing success above all in doubles and in inspiring women from South Asia and beyond to think bigger.

On Monday, the girlfriend of the American tennis player Frances Tiafoe posted a video from what she called a fashion show.In it, Mr. Tiafoe, ranked 17th in the world, tried on a kit sent to him by Nike, his sponsor, as he readied for the Australian Open.It's definitely a lot, but I'm here for it, his girlfriend, Ayan Broomfield, a tennis player from Canada, says as Mr. Tiafoe walks to a mirror to see the outfit: a sleeveless top and shorts covered in multicolored waves, like an oil slick rainbow or a lava lamp.

Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, has withdrawn from the Australian Open, the latest turn in an increasingly enigmatic career.The Australian Open announced Osaka's withdrawal on Sunday in Melbourne.Dayana Yastremska will now move into the main draw of the tournament, which starts Jan. 15.

Tennis players commonly hit three types of backhands  topspin, flat and slice  yet on the forehand, they have, in the modern game, traditionally limited their arsenal of shots to just the first two.The forehand slice  which involves sliding the racket beneath the ball to create backspin or sliding it to the left or right of the ball to create side spin  is used for drop shots but has long been frowned upon as a desperate play in an extreme situation.

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