Wimbledon Men s singles final.
Wimbledon, Rolland-Garros, US Open, Australian Open… Tennis is not just about muscles and nerves, and research sheds fascinating light on athletes’ strategies and performances.
Daniil Medvedev walks past the clock at 3:46am after match with Emil Ruusuvuori.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
Night matches at the Australian Open are a great spectacle, but sleep disruption is likely to wreak havoc even on professional athletes.
Lukas Coch/AAP
The tournament has proven to be very resilient throughout its history, but its greatest challenges may lie ahead.
National Portrait Gallery/PR handout
The Wiradjuri woman will be feted at this year’s Australian Open for her remarkable career. But this is also an opportunity for truth-telling.
Carlos Alcaraz with his trophy.
EPA-EFE/Isabel Infantes
Alcaraz’s distinctive aggressive forehand style allowed him to release any aggression or anxiety in a productive way.
Some 1971 tour players, from left, Hira Dhiraj, Hoosen Bobat, a Dutch friend, Jasmat Dhiraj, Charmaine Williams and Oscar Woodman. Williams toured at her own expense.
Courtesy the 1971 players/UKZN Press
A new book delves into the issues faced by a 1971 international tennis tour, and calls for injustice to be recognised.
On June 11, Djokovic beat Casper Ruud in three sets to win his 23rd Grand Slam.
EPA-EFE/Mohammed Badra
Athletes develop resilience over time, building mental and social skills that act as a shield against the negative effects of adversity and failure.
Wimbledon flags waving in the wind.
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Russian players will now compete as neutrals at Wimbledon, ending a yearlong stance against their participation.
Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.
Action Plus Sports Images / Alamy
Research is showing that players can use mindfulness techniques to improve the mental resilience required to perform at the highest level.
James Ross, Alberto Pezzali and Dave Hunt via AAP
The COVID pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine combined to make 2022 one of the most controversial years in tennis.
For every headline about pickleball’s miraculous growth, you can also find stories about conflicts and infighting.
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Headlines about pickleball’s exploding popularity abound. But the less visible social undercurrents of an emerging sport ultimately shape its long-term future.
Michael Cullen / Alamy
The numbers don’t show he was the greatest, but his excellence, aesthetics and integrity most certainly do.
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Roger Federer will retire this week at the Laver Cup. He leaves behind a formidable sporting record.
Serena Williams celebrates a win at her final professional tournament, the 2022 US Open.
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She blazed a trail for Black women athletes – despite the challenges they face in sport and society.
Serena Williams serves in her quarterfinal match during the 2019 Australian Open.
Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
There is no understating the impact Williams has had on the game itself. But her role in helping sports journalists reimagine the scope of their work is a key part of her enduring legacy.
Forty is the new thirty.
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Better knowledge of the right training strategies is one reason more athletes are continuing to compete longer than they used to.
Williams has won 23 grand slams in her career.
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More women should feel they have a choice to continue playing after becoming a mother – which is why the right kind of support is important.
Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP/AAP
Boycott actions often do more harm to individual athletes than to the condemned regime.
Russian players including Andrey Rublev competed at the 2022 French Open.
Roger Parker/Alamy
Russian players are competing at the French Open, is this the right move?
Eduardo Verdugo/AP/AAP
The global angst against Putin has been so profound that sport has been compelled to come out behind its customary veil of ‘neutrality’ in political matters.