Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have changed their games to reduce the strain but can still expect to beat the rest and meet each other in the final in MelbourneAndy Murray and Novak Djokovic can only play each other in the first major of the season in the final, which is a fortnight on Sunday. If it comes to pass, it must be like having a never‑ending appointment with a mad dentist armed with a rusty drill, given they have spent 20 hours and 41 minutes on court here in five brutal matches – nearly a day out of their lives.As everyone is aware, Djokovic has prevailed each time, winning finals in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016. In 2012, he...
Andy Murray is seeking his first Australian Open after five defeats in the final while there are some famous dark horses lower down in the seedings1. Andy Murray Continue reading...
The smiling Canadian with a penchant for dandy dressing and management-speak is going back to Canada after three years at the Lawn Tennis Association where he has failed to capitalise on Andy Murray’s successThe departure of Michael Downey as the chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association – effective from June – will cause few ripples outside the core of the sport because the movement of highly paid executives rarely matters to anyone but removal van companies, accountants and spouses.In this case, all three probably care more about Downey’s return to a similar post in his native Canada than do Andy Murray, Johanna Konta and the hundreds of British players who have prospered despite the clunking system rather than because...
Can Angelique Kerber regain the levels she reached during a stellar 2016? Will Serena Williams bounce back to the top? And how will Johanna Konta cope with top-10 status? There is plenty to look out for in Melbourne1. Angelique Kerber Related: Johanna Konta reaches women’s final in Sydney as Dan Evans claims first top-10 win Related: Limping Nick Kyrgios only a long shot but a fascinating Australian Open looms | Russell Jackson Continue reading...
From the Olympics to Euro 2016 to the death of Muhammad Ali, 2016 has been a rollercoaster ride that will not be forgotten, for the right and wrong reasonsIt was somehow typical of 2016 that on the morning after Andy Murray accepted the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award for a third time in his career, the focus should switch so joltingly to a man whose strategic brilliance had produced an avalanche of Olympic medals and the first British winner of the Tour de France, but who was now seen trying to persuade a sceptical House of Commons select committee that his team had no involvement with doping. Related: Andy Murray’s Sports Personality treble shows how he has won...