Australian Open LIVE: Emma Raducanu fires warning to rivals as John McEnroe left fuming
The Australian Open gets underway on Sunday as the great and good of tennis aim to kick off 2024 with a deep run at the year's first Grand Slam. On the men's side of the draw, Novak Djokovic is the red-hot favourite to win the tournament in which he has triumphed in four of the last five years.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion will begin his title defence against Dino Prizmic, while British hopefuls Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu have been handed intriguing first-round draws against Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Shelby Rogers respectively.
Sutton-born youngster Jack Draper will also fancy his chances of bettering Marcos Giron in Melbourne once he finishes an impressive run at the Adelaide International.
With plenty to look forward to and stories emerging thick and fast,
Murray lays out 'kinder' plan for 2024
Andy Murray has revealed that he wants to be ‘kinder to himself’ in 2024, having revealed that he was ‘not enjoying’ his tennis previously.
Speaking ahead of the Australian Open, he explained: “I definitely feel like I’m enjoying it better. I won’t be out there giggling on the court. That won’t be happening. It’s more about how you’re dealing with frustration and disappointment and everything when you’re playing.
“I don’t see Novak [Djokovic] out there when he’s playing his matches laughing and joking around. I never saw that with Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal]. It’s not about that.
“It’s probably how you’re treating yourself in those moments and being a bit kinder to yourself, the people around you, lowering some of your own expectations, controlling what you can control. Last year I was getting frustrated and was not competing well in the important moments. That’s something that I hope to change this year.”
Andy Murray welcomes Aus Open rule changes
Andy Murray has spoken positively about the introduction of new rules to try and prevent matches going on until the small hours of the morning at the Australian Open.
Murray's match with Thanasi Kokkinakis in Melbourne last year went on until 4am.
This year, the ATP and WTA have announced that a new scheduling policy will restrict the number of matches played per day at any given tournament, while contests will not be permitted to start beyond 11pm.
"It’s really good," said Murray. "I’ve spoken about it, I’ve heard lots of players and the media, obviously, discussing it for a long time. It just makes sense. It’s a very obvious thing that needs to change.
"I haven’t heard anyone really disagree with that. So it’s positive that there’s going to be some changes made. It will be good for, I think, everyone. It will definitely help with recovery for following day’s matches and things like that.
"I certainly think, for fans and the tournament, it just probably looks a wee bit more professional if you’re not finishing at three or four in the morning."
Emma Raducanu warns Luke Littler after meteoric rise
Emma Raducanu has advised Luke Littler to keep his circle close after reaching darts stardom over the festive period.
Raducanu's rise was almost as fast, putting together a deep run during her first Wimbledon appearance and going on to win the US Open that same year.
Littler, meanwhile, lost in the final of the World Darts Championship at just 16 years of age.
"I didn’t watch the darts - my friend just sent me a picture of the boy who was like 16, who lost in the final," Raducanu explained.
"She was like, 'I can't believe this guy's only 16 years old.' What advice would I give him?
"I would just say, 'Keep your circle close, take time to actually enjoy it and don't rush into the next thing straightaway'."
Katie Boulter speaks out on 'sharing her boyfriend' with Australia
British tennis star Katie Boulter claims she is sharing her boyfriend 'with everyone' in a 'circus' as Alex De Minaur bids to become the first male Australian to win his home Grand Slam title for nearly 50 years.
The Demon broke into the world’s top 10 for the first time after beating Novak Djokovic at the United Cup while he also won against Carlos Alcaraz in a pre-tournament charity match.
"It's really hard to describe," said Boulter. "I can't walk down the street with him alone. I feel like I'm sharing him with everyone, which isn't a bad thing! I think it's definitely been fun to be a part of because it's been a little bit of a circus, but a good circus.
"I think it's awesome that he's getting the attention that he really does deserve. He's put the work in for it. He's playing some of the best tennis of his life.
"It really does fill me with a lot of pride to actually watch him at this moment because I know everything that he's been through, how hard and how strong he is with everything he does."
Australian Open star joins OnlyFans
Alexandre Muller has taken a leaf out of Nick Kyrgios' book and created an OnlyFans account in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
The Frenchman is hoping that the move will revolutionise the way in which tennis stars interact with fans.
Muller plans to post videos on his match preparation, post-match reflections and travels across the world.
"It’s so exciting to announce this partnership with OnlyFans," he said. "The platform is revolutionising social media.
"I’ll be using my page to share exclusive moments with fans, behind-the-scenes training, and personal reflections, which are not voiced on the court and which I’ve never had the opportunity to share before. Join me to discover a new side of professional tennis."
Australian Open Day 1 schedule released
Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka are among the players set to light up Rod Laver Arena on Day 1 of the Australian Open.
The order of play has now been released, with the first dose of action at Melbourne's marquee tennis venue shaping up as follows...
ROD LAVER ARENA
(From 1am GMT)
Jannik Sinner vs Botic van de Zandschulp
Maria Sakkari vs Nao Hibino
(From 8am GMT)
Novak Djokovic vs Dino Prizmic
Aryna Sabalenka vs Ella Seidel
Djokovic and Swiatek the favourites for Australian Open
Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek are the clear favourites on the men's and women's side of the draw respectively ahead of the Australian Open, which gets underway on Sunday.
A selection of Betfair's outright winner odds are as follows...
MEN'S WINNER
Novak Djokovic - Evens
Carlos Alcaraz - 10/3
Jannik Sinner - 11/2
Jack Draper - 175/1
Andy Murray - 300/1
WOMEN'S WINNER
Iga Swiatek - 11/5
Aryna Sabalenka - 7/2
Elena Rybakina - 9/2
Coco Gauff - 11/2
Emma Raducanu 55/1
Jack Draper makes Adelaide International final
British tennis star Jack Draper has made it to the final of the Adelaide International after a superb win over Alexander Bublik.
Draper defeated the eighth seed 7-6 6-4 to set up a winner-takes-all clash against Jiri Lehecka on Saturday.
The 22-year-old has now made the final of an ATP Tour event for the second tournament in a row following the Sofia Open in November.
Signs are therefore promising for Draper to make a splash at the Australian Open, where he is due to face Marcos Giron in the first round.
Novak Djokovic snubbed by Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander has suggested that Rafael Nadal is the most important tennis player of all time ahead of Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic leads the way in the men's Grand Slam charts with 24 titles, and he has a chance to make it 25 at the Australian Open this month.
But Wilander was full of praise for Nadal's impact on the game when discussing the Spaniard's recent trip Down Under.
"To see him play one more time in Brisbane was brilliant," said the Swede. "To see the passion, to see him sweating like nobody else. I think that’s the memory that I will have with Rafa, not the press message which says that, 'Unfortunately, I have to pull out of the Australian Open'."
"I’m not looking at that. I’m looking at the last image of Nadal with him sweating, missing match points in Brisbane against Jordan Thompson. That’s my memory. He’s one of the greatest players of all time, and maybe the most important professional tennis player of all time."
Sabalenka makes 'screaming' joke during Djokovic match
Aryna Sabalenka has gained a reputation for loudly screaming and grunting when she hits the tennis ball, and she made light of the jokes during a recent knock around alongside Novak Djokovic.
Last year's Australian Open champions teamed up at Rod Laver Arena for a charity match against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari.
Sabalenka wore a microphone during the game and jokingly asked organisers to turn down the volume because her screaming would be 'too loud'.
She also remarked after one particular point: "I cannot play when I'm not screaming!"
Wilander raises Rafael Nadal fear
Tennis great Mats Wilander is fearful that Rafael Nadal may not get the kind of emotional retirement send-off enjoyed by Roger Federer.
Federer was the centre of attention at the Laver Cup in 2022, having announced his intention to retire in the lead-up to the tournament.
Nadal, meanwhile, is attempting to put together a farewell season after recovering from a year-long injury lay-off. But a fresh issue recently saw him withdraw from the Australian Open.
"We want him to be able to say farewell, of course," Wilander told Eurosport. "I'm not really sure what that farewell is supposed to look like.
"Obviously, we had maybe one of the greatest farewells ever with Roger Federer at the Laver Cup in the O2 Arena. It wasn't unexpected that he was eventually going to say farewell but it wasn't a very serious day of tennis.
"Maybe we won't get the same farewell. For me, all I really want to see from Rafa Nadal is that he says farewell when he wants to say farewell, not when he's forced to say farewell, and I think at the moment the injury world is not being very kind."
John McEnroe fumes at Australian Open rule change
Seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe 'completely disagrees' with the Australian Open being expanded from 14 days to 15.
Tournament chief Craig Tiley claims to have taken the decision to ease the pressure on players and avoid late-night finishes.
But McEnroe is wholly unconvinced.
"First of all, it's a money grab as far as I'm concerned," McEnroe told ESPN. "They just found another way to make some money. I don't agree with it. I'm a commentator. No one's particularly concerned about my feelings.
"The players, if they accept it and they're getting something from it, like some money for their pensions or retirement for some players that don't have insurance, I would say that's a good thing that they have added an extra day.
"I don't think that has happened, just like it didn't happen at the French Open. I completely disagree with it."
Emma Raducanu fires warning to tennis rivals
Emma Raducanu claims that her level is 'too good' not to shoot up the world rankings and be competitive at major tournaments - providing she remains fit and healthy.
The Brit has only just returned from an eight-month injury lay-off and finds herself ranked just inside the world's top 300 ahead of the Australian Open.
"I know my level is there, I just need to keep working on it to make it more consistent," she said.
"I think that will come with time in the gym, time on court, being able to play the calendar, not thinking 'Will I have to pull out from this one? Does that hurt?' Just being able to go consistently throughout the year.
"I think my level, to be honest, is just too good not to come through if I put consistent work together."
Good morning!
Hello and welcome to Express Sport's Australian Open LIVE!
Action in Melbourne isn't underway just yet, but there's plenty to look forward to and loads to keep on top of with the tournament just two days away.
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