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The Australian Open

Australian Open dates not about to budge: Tiley

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Craig Tiley on Monday laid down the law on any proposed date change for the Australian Open, insisting that the January tournament weeks are written in stone.

In what is nearly an annual knock-back of tennis calendar reform initiatives, the tennis boss said the Melbourne Grand Slam should remain exactly where it is.

He admitted the 10-month tennis season – not counting December’s rich play-for-pay Middle east exhibitions – is too long but called on those on the back end of the calendar to make any changes to decrease the workload.

“I thought it was absolutely ridiculous – a bizarre claim,” Tiley said of recent calls to make a change in the Aussie dates from the height of the Southern summer during school holidays.

“You talk to every player, this is the season. It starts in January. It starts here in Australia.

“The sport does need to get together and look at the length of (the season).

“(Tennis) finishes with Davis Cup late on the men’s side (November) and not as late on the women’s side (October) but I do think it’s a long season. 

“We’ve been talking about that for a long time.”

The South African-born administrator added: “But Australia is the summer, Australia is January and this event is, from the players’ perspective, one of their favourite places to play.

“They’re coming here earlier, we’re now seeing players here for six weeks, for seven weeks and the preparation for the Australian summer is very normalised – they know what they need to do.”

The Australian Open

Fashion-forward Osaka will tone it down at RG

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Tennis style icon Naomi Osaka has no plans to try for one-upmanship in the informal fashion stakes at Roland Garros.

The former world No. 1 from Japan has sometimes made more news with her style choices than her racquet, especially after taking time off several seasons ago to have a child.

But Osaka has run against the traditional tennis grain with some of her outfits, which included an exo-skeleton ensemble at January’s Australian Open, where she walked onto court for her opening match wearing a large hat, veil, and carrying a parasol combination and wearing a pair of pleated pants..

The clothing was discarded before the start revealing a tennis dress, with the quirky player explaining the get-up was inspired by “the jellyfish, then butterflies, which ties back to the butterfly moment I had here a long time ago, in 2021,” 

The world No. 16 also put on a fashion show at the spring Met Gala in New York, sporting a wedding dress-style garment combined with another huge hat..

For Osaka, it’s just another day in the office, but she said nothing special is planned when Roland Garros kicks of on Sunday in Paris.

“I don’t talk a lot, so that way I can talk through my clothes,” she said on Saturday prior to the start of the year’s second major.

“That means I can be as loud with colors or patterns or
fabric as I want.

“I think that’s the fun part.. I feel we lost that a little in tennis. I grew up with, you know, Serena’s and Venus’s (Williams) grand reveals (included beaded hair and catsuits on court).

“I know there are some kids or some people who are  similar to me that hopefully feel that same way about my outfits. 

“But, yeah, I am a little dramatic when it comes to my fashion sense.”

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ATP

Kyrgios due to resurface on German grass

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Nick Kyrgios is being touted for a return to tennis after playing just one singles match all season, with the controversial Australian due in the lineups for Stuttgart and Halle in June.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist who turns 31 in a week, has been added to the entry lists for the pair of run-up events prior to the grass-court major which starts on June 29.

Kyrgios, who has missed months on end due to injury and motivational worries, has played just one Grand Slam match since 2022, losing in the Australian Open first round in 2025.

His lone outing this season was an ATP defeat in Brisbane on January 6.

Nevertheless, the acquired taste is feted as a crowd-puller and will have German organisers on alert as to his eventual availability.

“Nick Kyrgios has been one of the most ‌dazzling ⁠personalities in world tennis for years,” Halle tournament organisers said in a statement.

“The Australian is known for his exceptional playing style, characterised by one of the best serves on the tour, ⁠spectacular winners, and great creativity.

“At the same time, his emotional personality and charisma attract considerable attention far beyond the sport.”

Stuttgart start the day after the Roland Garros final while Halle follows a week later in northern Germany from June 13-21.

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ATP

Djoko dropping hints that career has short shelf life

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Novak Djokovic has been making it plain that the end of his career is approaching, with the 38-year-old dropping his strongest hint ever about his future on court.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion who has been keeping his ATP scheduling options open and has competed this season only at the Australian Open (finals loss to Carlos Alcaraz) and winning two rounds last month at Indian Wells.

“Tennis is still very important to me, but it’s no longer everything,” the Serb told Esquire Australia, adding that family matters and two children are starting to take precedence in his life.

“It’s one of the biggest challenges – finding the right balance between tennis and family life, especially as my children are growing and have school commitments, so they can’t travel with me as much as before.

“When I’m on the court, I’m motivated not just to win, but to set an example – to show them values like dedication, resilience, and love for what you do. That motivation is very powerful and very personal.”

Main photo:- Novak Djokovic was runner up to Carlos Alcaraz in AO26 – by ISF Ltd

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