Women's Tennis

Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with Victoria Azarenka following their second-round match in the 2022 U.S. Open.

Azarenka defeats Kostyuk 6-2, 6-3. No handshake, just a racket tap… pic.twitter.com/WogSSznz2t

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) September 1, 2022

Kostyuk, who was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, explained to ESPN's Aishwarya Kumar she took issue with Azarenka failing to criticize the role of her native Belarus in Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

"It was my choice—I don't feel like I don't know any single person who condemned the war publicly, and the actions of their government, so I don't feel like I can support this," Kostyuk said.

"Don't get me wrong, she's a great competitor. But, it has nothing to do with her being a human being."

Kumar noted a similar situation played out at the Citi Open, when Dayana Yastremska didn't shake Azarenka's hand following their first-round encounter.

Prior to the U.S. Open, the tournament dropped Azarenka from its Tennis Plays for Peace exhibition event. The New York Times' Matthew Futterman reported the step was taken after Ukrainian players expressed their concerns.

Kostyuk told reporters she reached out to Azarenka by text message Wednesday to say she didn't plan to shake hands. The 20-year-old added she thought the two-time Australian Open champion could've done more to express solidarity with her Ukrainian colleagues.

"I never had any personal hate towards her," Kostyuk said. "But because she has such a big role outside the tennis, in Belarus, in the tennis world, being on the WTA Players Council, I feel she could have done more at least with our personal relationships around players."

Azarenka spoke on the matter after her straight-set victory.

"I feel like I've had a very clear message from the beginning, is that I'm here to try to help, which I have done a lot," she told reporters. "Maybe not something that people see, and that's not what I do it for. I do it for people who in need, juniors who need clothes, other people who need money or other people who needed transportation or whatever. That's what is important to me, to help people are in need."

Although Belarus isn't involved in direct fighting against Ukraine, the country has aided in Russia's military effort. In addition to the diplomatic fallout for the country, Belarusian athletes have been adversely impacted amid the ongoing continuation of the war.

Azarenka was among the players banned from competing at Wimbledon earlier in the summer.

Even the oddsmakers are starting to believe in Serena Williams.

After the 23-time Grand Slam winner opened the 2022 U.S. Open at 50-1 odds, she's dropped all the way to 14-1 after her victory over second-seeded Anett Kontaveit.

"It's extremely unique to have such a sports icon at long odds you would never have gotten in their prime," Caesars Sportsbook vice president of trading Craig Mucklow told ESPN's Doug Kezirian. "This is a great story, and the longer the run continues, the more action we'll see backing Serena, for sure."

Williams entered her second-round match as a heavy underdog but looked spry as she earned a 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2 win over Kontaveit, who entered Flushing Meadows as the world No. 2. She will face off against Ajla Tomljanović in the third round and opened as a -170 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.

The 40-year-old great announced her pending retirement from tennis in a first-person essay published in Vogue. While Williams admitted she didn't want to walk away from tennis—she noted she would never have to make such a choice if she were a man—her desire to expand her family has taken priority over her dreams on the court.

"I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don't think it’s fair," Williams wrote. "If I were a guy, I wouldn't be writing this because I'd be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family. Maybe I'd be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity."

Williams had largely looked like a shell of her past self in three tournaments before the U.S. Open. She was ousted in the first round at Wimbledon and the Western & Southern Open; her only win this year before this week came against Nuria Párrizas Díaz, the No. 62 player in the world.

Tomljanović has never faced Williams in a head-to-head matchup.

The 2022 U.S. Open will be the final tennis tournament featuring both Williams sisters.

Venus Williams gained entry to Flushing Meadows as a wild card, according to the United States Tennis Association in an announcement Wednesday, allowing her to play in her sister Serena's retirement event.

Serena Williams announced her plans to retire from tennis following this year's U.S. Open in a Vogue article this month.

Venus Williams is a two-time U.S. Open champion, winning the event in 2000 and 2001. She also lost to Serena in the 2002 final, which was the last time she reached a final in the New York-based hardcourt major.

While she ranks among the most decorated players of her generation, Venus Williams' wild-card selection is one based far more on reputation than recent performance.

The 42-year-old has not won a singles match since her first-round match at Wimbledon last year. She has struggled with injuries and poor performance in recent years; she did not play a competitive singles match from August 2021 until her return this month.

Since getting back on the court, Williams has been handily defeated in both of her singles matches this year.

Despite her struggles, it would not have felt right if Venus was not in the field during Serena's final tournament. Serena has also not looked like herself since her own return to tennis in June, posting a 1-2 record.

The 23-time singles Grand Slam winner said in the Vogue article she plans on expanding her family and business ventures in retirement. The 40-year-old gave birth to a daughter, Olympia, in 2017.

Serena Williams suffered a straight-sets loss (6-4, 6-0) to reigning U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in the first round of the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday night.

"We all should honor Serena and her amazing career," Raducanu told reporters. "I'm so grateful for the experience to have been able to play her and for our careers to have crossed over. Everything she's achieved is so inspirational. It was a true honor to share the court with her."

Williams, who's expected to wrap up her legendary career at this year's U.S. Open beginning Aug. 29, didn't speak with the media following the loss.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion announced in Vogue earlier this month she would be "evolving away from tennis," noting she didn't like the word retirement.

Williams didn't formally state in the piece that the U.S. Open would mark the final event of her career, but the timing suggested that will be the case, and it would be fitting to wrap up her Hall of Fame run in the event where she won her first Grand Slam title in 1999.

"But I'm not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment," Williams said. "I'm terrible at goodbyes, the world's worst. But please know that I am more grateful for you than I can ever express in words. You have carried me to so many wins and so many trophies. I'm going to miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis. And I'm going to miss you."

Her 23 major titles in singles ranks second in women's tennis history behind only Margaret Court (24). She's also captured 16 Grand Slam doubles titles (14 women's and two mixed) and four Olympic gold medals (three doubles and one singles).

The loss to Raducanu dropped her singles record to 1-3 since her return from injury at the 2022 Wimbledon tournament.

It leaves an uncertain outlook heading into the U.S. Open. Her power game still gives her a distinct advantage over a majority of the WTA Tour players when healthy, but she's yet to showcase top form for an extended stretch in these past few months.

The lopsided result against Raducanu shows how much work there is to do in a limited amount of time if she wants to make a deep run in New York, but there's also plenty of motivation with the end of her career on the horizon and Court's record still within reach.

Regardless of how Williams' playing days come to an end, she'll go down as one of the greatest tennis players in history and perhaps the most dominant when at the peak of her powers.

That said, one more magical run in a Grand Slam would be a fitting way to walk away from the sport.

One day after announcing her intentions to retire from tennis, Serena Williams was defeated by Belinda Bencic in the second round of the National Bank Open on Wednesday night. Bencic won in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.

.@BelindaBencic makes in 2-0 against @serenawilliams in Toronto.

She joins the @nationalbank Winner's Circle with a repeat performance of the 2015 semi-final. 👏

#️NBO22 pic.twitter.com/xr8DloeiIG

— National Bank Open (@NBOtoronto) August 11, 2022

Williams took the first point in the first set but quickly lost momentum as Bencic won the next three points. Bencic managed to break Williams twice in the set to take the victory.

In the second set, Williams once again opened strong and took a 3-2 lead. But Bencic rattled off three straight points to take the advantage. Williams managed to hold serve on the next point, but Bencic did the same to take match point. After the match, Williams was honored on the court for her last tournament in Toronto:

An emotional Serena Williams wipes a tear from her face as she gets a standing ovation after her final match in #toronto. #NBO22 #SerenaWilliams pic.twitter.com/4WrUehdGxv

— Lindsay Dunn (@LindsayDunnTV) August 11, 2022

On Tuesday, Williams wrote in a personal essay for Vogue that she plans on ending her legendary career after the 2022 U.S. Open, which will begin Aug. 29.

"I have never liked the word retirement," Williams stated. "It doesn't feel like a modern word to me. I've been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I'm up to is evolution. I'm here to tell you that I'm evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me."

Williams' win in the first round Tuesday over Nuria Parrizas-Diaz was her first victory since the 2021 French Open. The National Bank Open is just her second tournament of the season after she returned to competition a little over a month ago at Wimbledon, where she was defeated in the first round by Harmony Tan.

Bencic will face Garbiñe Muguruza in the third round Thursday.

Serena Williams sent shockwaves through the tennis world on Tuesday when she announced her intention to retire after the 2022 U.S. Open.

Unsurprisingly, there is massive intrigue for the legendary athlete's last run, and Williams' announcement has led to a spike in ticket sales for the event set to begin on Aug. 29.

Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim reports that 13,000 tickets have been sold since the news, including a near sell-out for opening night:

Hearing from @usopen folks: "Since the Serena news this morning, 13k tix were sold, including 4.5k for opening night which makes it a near sell-out."

— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) August 9, 2022

"I have never liked the word retirement," Williams wrote for Vogue. "It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me."

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is one of the most successful athletes across any sport. She also has 14 doubles titles and four Olympic gold medals.

Tennis legend Serena Williams announced her farewell to tennis in an essay for Vogue, creating a significant reaction around the sports world.

A must read. https://t.co/NSWDGHzsXK

— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) August 9, 2022

"I have never liked the word retirement," Williams said. "It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me. "

Many fans offered her support following the announcement:

The greatest to ever do it! Thank you for inspiring multiple generations...and bringing the sport to new audiences...forever the GOAT🤎🤎🤎🤎

— Mel (@Melyorkie) August 9, 2022

The mark she will leaves on Tennis is insurmountable. Love ya Queen! Let's make some more memories in these last few weeks 😍 #RenasArmy

— HayTrouble (@HayTr0bl3) August 9, 2022

I’m sooo torn up over this. I’ve watched Serena since she turned pro. Not seeing her in a major tournament will be hard. Yet I know Serena has nothing left to prove. She has best the best of her generation. Her legacy is sealed. Cheering her on no matter what she evolves to.

— Chung Seto 司徒仲菁🌻💙 (@setochungster) August 9, 2022

Reading all the tea leave told us all it was coming but it still hurts 🥹🥹😭. Thank you Serena Williams for allowing us to witness your extraordinary career.

— Daniel (@Oracle_Dan23) August 9, 2022

She will forever be a legend & GOAT.

— Ava42 Princess of Brazen Hussy (@Ava42) August 9, 2022

Thank you @serenawilliams for inspiring so many! GOAT!🎾 pic.twitter.com/6m6B4NKM97

— Tasha ☀️ (@Tasha_A84) August 9, 2022

Greatest athlete of ANY sport!

— Bussy 🐝🦅 (@AlaskanBussy) August 9, 2022

Serena and her sister, Venus, have done more for the world of tennis than any sports figure, politician or world leader, by opening once firmly locked doors to communities of color around the globe. What an inspiration to us all! Best of luck, Serena!https://t.co/45jOq1GVUu

— Y. Rodriguez (@Yrdefender1909) August 9, 2022

What a phenomenal career you had Serena. An inspiration to millions! There will never be another like you… G.O.A.T! ❤️ 👑 🙌🏼 @serenawilliams

— Selina Bhairon (@SelinaBhairon) August 9, 2022

I love Serena for so many things, including her brutal honesty that the thought of retirement and crossroads and life changes is not easy. #legend #inspiration #rockstar https://t.co/amjxhy54r2

— Dana O'Neil (@DanaONeilWriter) August 9, 2022

Serena Williams will give it a go at the US Open before ‘evolving’ away from tennis. The absolute 🐐 - she will be greatly missed on the court. https://t.co/eBMfVyCQqm

— Seth Wells (@SethWellsTV) August 9, 2022

Serena Williams won the Australian Open while two months pregnant. The GOAT conversation was over the moment she did that.

— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) August 9, 2022

https://twitter.com/ktrain_11/status/1556986017747533824

I can’t imagine the decision was anywhere near easy. Been a fan since we were shorties & I’ll continue to root for her in future ventures outside of sport too. Hell, she was why I played tennis in HS. Thank you for being an inspiration, Serena. The sport is better bc of you. https://t.co/13UG93B48e

— 🏜️🦅 In the Backseat (@_nicolefalls) August 9, 2022

A BIG announcement from the G.O.A.T … Serena Williams says she will "evolve away from tennis" after this year's US Open.

A spectacular career & unmatched competitor … wishing Serena all the best on & off the court! 🙌🏽👏🏽💪🏽🏆🌟 https://t.co/QF6lFavpsA

— Judi Gatson (@JudiGatson) August 9, 2022

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1556998179131985921

Williams has been one of the most successful athletes in any sport during her era, winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles with 14 doubles titles, adding four Olympic gold medals.

Novak Djokovic keeps adding to his historic Wimbledon winning streak.

The reigning three-time Wimbledon champion is on to the fourth round after a straight-set victory over Miomir Kecmanovic on Friday. He has won 24 consecutive matches at this tournament dating back to 2018.

Joining Djokovic in the Round of 16 will be Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Elise Mertens and Ons Jabeur.

Here's a recap of the results and notable matches from Friday's action at the All England Club.

---

Men's Singles Results

No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 25 Miomir Kecmanovic 6-0, 6-3, 6-4

No. 5 Carlos Alcaraz def. No. 32 Oscar Otte 6-3, 6-1, 6-2

No. 9 Cameron Norrie def. Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-1, 6-0

No. 10 Jannik Sinner def. No. 20 John Isner 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-3

Tim van Rijthoven def. No. 22 Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

No. 23 Frances Tiafoe def. Alexander Bublik 3-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (3), 6-4

No. 30 Tommy Paul def. Jiri Vesely 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

Jack Sock def. Maxime Cressy 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (1)

Jason Murray Kubler def. Dennis Novak 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

David Goffin def. Ugo Humbert 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 7-5

---

Ladies' Singles Results

No. 3 Ons Jabeur def. Diane Parry 6-2, 6-3

Tatjana Maria def. No. 5 Maria Sakkari 6-3, 7-5

No. 12 Jelena Ostapenko def. Irina-Camelia Begu 3-6, 6-1, 6-1

No. 24 Elise Mertens def. No. 15 Angelique Kerber 6-4, 7-5

Marie Bouzkova def. No. 28 Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-2, 6-3

Caroline Garcia def. No. 33 Shuai Zhang 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5)

Jule Niemeier def. Lesia Tsurenko 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

Heather Watson def. Kaja Juvan 7-6 (8-6), 6-2

Full results available at Wimbledon.com.

---

Djokovic certainly looks to have hit his stride since dropping the second set in his first round win over Kwon Soon-woo. The men's top seed has won each of his eight sets since then, including in his victory over Kecmanovic.

Novak Djokovic with the lob to win the second set ‼️ pic.twitter.com/4ddhC24Jri

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 1, 2022

Sit back and enjoy...@DjokerNole playing cat and mouse with his compatriot#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/GBaBZvmnu0

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2022

The win also gave Djokovic 24 straight on grass, the third-longest streak in the Open era behind Roger Federer (65) and Bjorn Borg (41).

https://twitter.com/TennisPodcast/status/1542903206262579200

There was some sloppiness from Djokovic on Friday. He committed four double faults, his most in a single match in the tournament thus far. The 35-year-old was able to offset it with a 6-1 advantage in break points and five double faults from Kecmanovic.

Next up for Djokovic will be a showdown with Tim van Rijthoven in the fourth round. This is the first head-to-head meeting between the two.

This is Van Rijthoven's first Wimbledon appearance. The 25-year-old has defeated No. 15 Reilly Opelka and No. 22 Nikoloz Basilashvili in his past two matches.

Alcaraz's ascent to stardom this season continued with his best performance of the tournament thus far. He only dropped six games in a three-set win over Oscar Otte. The 19-year-old had 37 winners and broke Otte's serve six times.

We could watch this @carlosalcaraz forehand winner over and over 😍#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/6g82f4ShPi

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2022

"I played unbelievable today," Alcaraz told reporters after his win. "This was my best performance so far. I'm really happy with the level, and I will try to keep this level into the next round."

Things figure to start getting more difficult for Alcaraz going forward. The Spanish star will take on No. 10 Jannik Sinner, who sent John Isner packing in straight sets, in the fourth round.

Moving to the ladies' bracket, Ons Jabeur barely had to break a sweat with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Diane Parry that took just 68 minutes to complete. The No. 3 seed has won her first three matches in just over three hours combined (186 minutes).

Jabeur was nearly flawless with four aces, no double faults, five break points and 22 winners. She capped off Friday's win with 14 consecutive points.

14 consecutive points to win the match from @Ons_Jabeur...

Including this stunner 😍#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/SDsmS2lRBu

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2022

Things did not go as well for fifth-seeded Maria Sakkari. The 26-year-old was stunned by Tatjana Maria in straight sets to become the second top-five seed to be sent home in the first week (No. 2 Anett Kontaveit).

Sakkari's serve and return game weren't working for her Friday. She committed six double faults with just three aces and only converted one of seven break-point chances.

Maria is into the fourth round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career. Per OptaAce, she is the oldest German woman in the Open era to reach the fourth round at a Grand Slam event (34 years, 328 days).

Coming into Wimbledon, Maria hadn't won a match in the main draw at a Grand Slam tournament since the 2018 U.S. Open.

Saturday's schedule will feature Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Iga Swiatek, Paula Badosa and Coco Gauff in action.

After defeating Serena Williams in the Wimbledon singles tournament, Harmony Tan is now under fire.

Tan withdrew from the doubles draw on Wednesday because of a thigh injury, via D'Aarcy Maine of ESPN. Would-be partner Tamara Korpatsch was notified of the decision late and voiced her displeasure in an Instagram post:

Unfortunately my Doubles Partner H. Tan retired from our doubles today. She just texted me this morning. Let me wait here 1 hour before the match start. I'm very sad, disappointed and also very angry that I can't play my 1st Doubles Grand Slam. And It's really not fair for me. I didn't deserve that. She asked me before the tournament if we wanna play doubles and I said yes, I didn't ask her, she asked me! If you're broken after a 3h Match the day before, you can't play professional. That's my opinion.

Tan defeated Williams in a Round 1 battle that lasted three hours and 14 minutes on Tuesday night. The match featured 243 total points and ended in a third-set tiebreak won by the 24-year-old in her Wimbledon main draw debut.

The French player was scheduled to pair with Korpatsch for a doubles match on Wednesday against Raluca Olaru and Nadiia Kichenok, but the withdrawal caused them to be replaced by Valentini Grammatikopoulou and Peangtarn Plipuech.

Korpatsch lost in her singles first-round match against Heather Watson. The German was slated to make her first Grand Slam appearance in doubles before Tan's withdrawal.

Tan remains in the singles competition and will face No. 32 seed Sara Sorribes Tormo on Thursday. Dropping out of the doubles event could keep her fresh as she attempts to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.

Ranked No. 115 in the world, Tan entered the tournament with a 13-16 record as a singles player in 2022. She's 0-1 in doubles this year, last winning a match in 2020.

Serena Williams will return to Grand Slam tennis at Wimbledon after being granted a main draw wild-card slot in this year's field.

BREAKING:

Serena Williams has received a main draw wild card into #Wimbledon.

Williams has not played in a year, since retiring at 3-3 in the first set of her first round match at Wimbledon last year. pic.twitter.com/emk2skJiGh

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) June 14, 2022

Williams, who hasn't played since last year's Wimbledon tournament, hinted at a return on Instagram on Tuesday morning:

On Instagram, Serena Williams seems to indicate a return at #Wimbledon later this month.

Williams did not enter the singles main tournament at the deadline as she could have using a protected ranking, so we will have to wait and see what this means. pic.twitter.com/GD3Q4hUHQu

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) June 14, 2022

The 40-year-old tennis legend previously suggested she may play at the All England Club in an April social media post alongside Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers:

“We’ve been talking about my comeback!”

Serena Williams on her Instagram Story dispelling any assumptions that just because her longtime coach is working with someone else now, that doesn’t mean she’s done with tennis. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/kevz2yHO24

— Gibson Johns (@gibsonoma) April 7, 2022

She's provided limited updates about her recovery from a leg injury suffered early in her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Wimbledon last year.

Williams has motivation to make a comeback since she's one Grand Slam title away from tying Margaret Court for the most major singles titles in the sport's history (24). Her last triumph on one of the sport's biggest stages came at the 2017 Australian Open.

She's reached four Grand Slam finals since that title in Melbourne five years ago but has come up short on each occasion.

In March, Williams discussed the missed chances to overtake Court with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

"I should have been at like 30 or 32 [Grand Slam singles titles]," she said. "I should have had [the record], really, I've had many opportunities to have it. But I'm not giving up."

Williams has won Wimbledon seven times, most recently winning the grass-court tournament on back-to-back occasions in 2015 and 2016. She reached the final in 2018 and 2019.

Even if it takes her a while to regain top form and she doesn't make a deep Wimbledon run, getting Williams back on the WTA circuit would provide a boost heading into the U.S. Open Series over the summer.

That said, it's impossible to count her out at the All England Club given her past success.