Tennis news as legend makes Novak Djokovic | Sports News

Nowadays, Novak Djokovic is a family title after cementing himself as one of the best males’s tennis gamers of all time — however it wasn’t long in the past that his sudden emergence caught many of his friends off guard.

Though Djokovic has achieved no scarcity of success during the last 20-plus years, he may additional etch his title within the historical past books by successful a record-breaking twenty fifth Grand Slam title. But the 38-year-old has been hampered by health setbacks for a lot of the 2026 marketing campaign, having missed the Miami Open and Monte Carlo Masters earlier than formally withdrawing from the upcoming Madrid Open because of a proper shoulder harm.

In the early phases of Djokovic’s profession, nevertheless, Andy Roddick conceded that his arrival on the professional tour appeared to return out of nowhere.

Discussing his first impressions of Djokovic on the newest episode of his podcast, Roddick stated: “Yeah, I bear in mind, like, I bear in mind in 06, I used to be enjoying the U.S. Open, and he performed [Lleyton] Hewitt, and I didn’t know a lot about him on the time. I believe he’d gained a tour occasion that summer season, however I bear in mind wanting him to win as a result of I didn’t need to play Lleyton. Yeah, so I keep in mind that, after which 07, clearly, he broke out, like in a large method, like, shortly.

“And then, I think of Canada, I lost to him in the quarters, I forget what order it was. It was like, and then he beat Roger, Rafa, I think, [in the] semis [and then the] finals. And I think he was the first person to beat three, two, one in a row at a Masters 1000. That’s an arrival.”

Below, Express U.S. Sports has compiled the most important tales from the previous 24 hours across the tennis world.

While Roddick was completely impressed by Djokovic’s sudden dominance, the American by no means may’ve imagined that the Serbian would ever be in the identical dialogue as stars Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. “But you wouldn’t have imagined, because a serve was all out of whack, you wouldn’t have imagined him being what he is now then, though,” he stated.

“Like, it’s not like a Rafa where he came out and like this guy’s gonna win every French Open. Like, it was very obvious. Novak, at that time, the serve was not great, and he would get tired in matches. Like, you got him in the heat in long matches, he didn’t like it. And it was no secret.

“So there’s no way that you could have projected forward to the year 2026 and say, This guy has made a living on discipline, staying in matches, doing everything, going through these wars, winning five-setters against Jannik Sinner at almost 40 years old. I don’t know that anyone would have projected that forward from where he was. Which is a testament to him kind of leaving no stone unturned.”

The ATP Tour issued Daniil Medvedev a hefty wonderful after he descended into a match of rage during his 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Matteo Berrettini within the first spherical of the Monte Carlo Masters.

While trailing by a massive margin within the second set, Medvedev furiously smashed his racket for 40 straight seconds as the group in attendance rained down boos on the courtroom. His unruly habits didn’t go unpunished, as ATP high brass fined him $7,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Medvedev didn’t go home fully empty-handed, as the 30-year-old nonetheless obtained a $50,000 paycheck for his first-round loss. Addressing his divisive conduct on the courtroom, he beforehand stated: “The most important is I always stay true to myself, so when I get angry, and even if I do bad things, well, sometimes I have to apologize, but it’s the way I am.

“It’s my feelings. But I additionally know that these feelings could be enjoyable, could be a bit an excessive amount of, however many instances they’ll value me a bit of power and a bit of focus during the match. So, of course, I all the time stated it is higher to remain calm. I do suppose there are such a lot of followers around the globe, so some people like indignant Medvedev and a few people like calm Medvedev. If I play nicely, if I keep true to myself, there’s going to be people who love me and people who hate me as nicely.”

Just two days after turning 38 years old, Roberto Bautista Agut announced that he will be retiring from professional tennis at the end of the 2026 campaign. Over a decorated career spanning the better part of three decades, the former World No. 9 player has amassed nearly $20.3 million in prize money — making him the 37th highest earner in the Open Era.

Taking to social media, Bautista Agut wrote: “There are selections that are not simple, however they arrive from serenity and the guts: the 2026 season will likely be my final as a skilled tennis participant. I’ve lived my dream for a few years. I’ve given every thing I had in each coaching session and each match. Now I really feel the time has come to start out saying goodbye, to get pleasure from every event in a completely different method, and to close this chapter with gratitude for my beloved tennis.

“I want to live every last point this year. To feel the support of the people, to compete one more time in the tournaments that have been a part of my life, and to say goodbye on the court, which is where l’ve always been happiest.”