Mirra Andreeva is making her Australian Open debut in style, beating 6-seed Ons Jabeur in straight sets.
The 16-year-old’s first career top-10 victory came in decisive fashion, as Andreeva won 6-0, 6-2 in just 54 minutes. Afterwards, the 47th-ranked Russian player had nothing but great things to say about her opponent, who she considers one of her idols.
“It was one of my dreams to play against her because I really like the way she plays,” she told reporters afterwards. “As I said before, I’m inspired by her, so it means a lot. Today, it meant a lot, this match that I won.
“Now, after the match, she came to me, she wished me luck. I just know that she is who she is and she never changes. That’s what I like about her.”
Andreeva dominated from the beginning to the end, facing just one break point throughout the match. She hit 13 winners and only 10 unforced errors. Jabeur, in contrast, hit just nine winners to 24 unforced errors.
According to the WTA, Andreeva is just the second-youngest player in the Open era to concede three games or fewer against a top-10 seed at a grand slam. Jelena Dokic is the youngest, having beaten Martina Hingis at Wimbledon in 1999.
The teenager called it “probably the best match” of her career thus far.
“The first set, I didn’t expect that I would play this good. Second set was also not bad,” she said. “For me, it was an amazing match. I’m super happy with the level that I showed today on the court.”
She’s the first player aged 17 or younger to defeat a top-10 player at the Australian Open since Coco Gauff beat then-defending champion Naomi Osaka in the 2019 tournament’s third round. Gauff won her second round match in straight sets on Tuesday, extending her winning streak at Grand Slams to nine matches.
Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open return ended in the first round, with the former world No. 1 suffering a straight-set loss to Carolina Garcia.
Despite the loss, the four-time Grand Slam champion remained upbeat.
“I felt like I did the best that I could possibly do. It was just really nice to be on Rod Laver again, hear the audience, how much they interacted with the match,” Osaka said. “I have to tell myself, ‘Hey, like six months ago you were pregnant,’ stuff like that. Of course, there’s a voice in my head that is, ‘Who are you to think you can come back and immediately start winning matches?’”
“I’ve taken a lot of breaks throughout the years … I think this one was the one that finally clicked in my head,” Osaka continued. “I think I realized, like, being an athlete, that time is really precious. I never took that for granted before [but] I was young and I felt like I could kind of roll back into it whenever I needed to.
“I guess after having Shai, kind of going through the struggle of trying to get myself back to where I want to be, it was incredibly tough. I have a much more positive mindset and a much more grateful mindset.”
Osaka made her return 15 months after giving birth to her daughter last July, and the Australian Open first round was just her third match of the season.
And while the Australian Open didn’t go exactly as planned, she’s still excited for the rest of the season.
“These past couple weeks I think, for me, I’m grateful for them,” Osaka said. “I have a team that’s really amazing and I’ve made a lot of different memories with them in Australia.
“Of course, I don’t regret anything. I think I’ve learned a lot during this trip, both on the court and off the court. Also I think I just played some really good people. It’s a little unfortunate.”
Now, Osaka turns to getting more matches under her belt. She said in Melbourne that she’s thinking of playing in Dubai, at Indian Wells, in Miami and Charleston before “probably” a full clay season.
Naomi Osaka is remaining positive despite losing in her second game back at the Brisbane International. The four-time Grand Slam champion fell to Karolina Pliskova in three sets.
“The week is definitely shorter than I wanted it to be,” Osaka said.”I feel like I’m pretty good where I am right now. Even the last time I played her, I think I played better today.”
Osaka fired 14 aces and just two double faults. She won 83 percent of points when getting her first serve into play.
Pliskova also won her last match with Osaka.
Ngl that was really fun though 😂
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) January 3, 2024
“I think I’m enjoying myself a lot more, and I also realize there’s a lot of things that aren’t in my control. I feel more aware that I’m playing the best players in the world. Both of us have an opportunity to win,” Osaka said, noting how her approach to winning and losing has changed.
“I’ve trained so hard since giving birth, I need to enjoy these moments … I do feel different. I mean, of course I feel sad, but the sadness is me being like, ‘Aww, I wish I could have done better, because I know I’m spending so much time away from [Shai], so I want it to be worth it somehow.
“For me even stepping on the court is a personal win because a couple of weeks ago I was even doubting if I could play with everyone. So I guess these two matches that I’ve had kind of prove to me that I am doing OK, and the year is just going to get better for me.”
Naomi Osaka returned to tennis and returned to winning on Monday, defeating Tamara Korpatsch in the first round of the Brisbane International.
After taking a 6-3 win in the first set, she was broken while serving for the match 5-3 in the second set. Eventually, she won the second set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (9). It was Osaka’s first win since giving birth to a daughter, Shai, in July.
Following the Brisbane International, Osaka will head to Melbourne for the 2024 Australian Open. The two-time Australian Open champion previously said that the year’s first Grand Slam would mark her return to tennis.
“I was super nervous the whole time,” the former No. 1-ranked Osaka said after her win. “A part of me felt like Shai was watching me. I wanted to do my best for her.”
And while the win didn’t come easy, Osaka looked sharp for someone who took a 15-month hiatus to give birth.
“Looking back on the match now, honestly I’m very proud of myself,” said Osaka. “I feel like I played at a pretty good level.”
Osaka is also looking at the sport differently than she did before.
“The last couple of years that I played before I had my daughter, I didn’t return as much love as I was given,” Osaka said. “I feel like that’s what I want to do in this chapter.
“I just really appreciate people coming out and knowing me and cheering for me, because I feel like there was a time I was just a little kid trying to watch my role models play. So it feels really surreal sometimes to be playing on these courts.”
Elsewhere, US Open champion Coco Gauff won her opener at the Auckland Tennis Classic, while World No. 1 Iga
Naomi Osaka took to the practice court Wednesday ahead of her return to tennis at the Brisbane International.
The former world No. 1 is set to make her WTA comeback at the tournament, which begins Sunday. She spent the last year out on maternity leave, and she gave birth to her daughter Shai in July.
A two-time Australian Open and US Open champion, Osaka pulled out of the 2023 Australian Open in Melbourne before revealing her pregnancy. Osaka last competed at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September 2022.
“She’s really pumped, excited to be back in Brisbane,” tournament director Cameron Pearson said Wednesday. “She arrived Christmas morning and was out practicing a few hours later. No Christmas pudding for her, she was straight into it.”
The 26-year-old also spoke Friday about how motherhood has given her a new outlook on the game.
“Being a mum has changed my life a lot. I think it changed my perspective on a lot of things,” Osaka said. “Giving birth was one of the most painful things I’ve ever gone through. It’s definitely made me feel like physically I can handle a lot.
“I want to show Shai that she’s capable of everything, so that’s one of my main purposes and main reasons why I want to be back out here.”
But she also has realistic expectations about the Australian Open after having not competed in over a year.
“I’ve given myself the biggest chance to do well, but at the same time, I haven’t had any match play,” Osaka said. “I’m just embracing the fact that it’s my first tournament in a very long time. I’m just trying to have fun and do well at the same time.”
Osaka received a wild-card entry to the tournament. The field also includes reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, US Open champion Coco Gauff, world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Sloane Stephens in the 54-player women’s draw.
A tennis player once again topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid female athletes, with Iga Swiatek taking over the top spot.
She becomes just the fourth athlete to top the list after Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova. Both Williams and Osaka had maintained a hold on the list in recent years, with Osaka taking the top spot in 2022. But Williams has retired and Osaka sat out the 2023 season to have her first child, leaving the top spot for Swiatek.
The 22-year-old Polish tennis player brought in an estimated $23.9 million in 2023, which included $9.9 million in on-court earnings after winning the women’s singles title at the French Open. She also added four new endorsement deals.
Twelve of the 20 highest-paid women athletes play tennis, as well as nine of the top 10. Eileen Gu, who came in second on the list, is the only non-tennis player to feature inside the top 10. She made $22.1 million in 2023, with the majority of her earnings coming from endorsements.
Coco Gauff, who won the 2023 US Open, placed third on the list with an estimated $21.7 million in earnings.
Even despite her break, Osaka still sits at fifth on the list having brought in $15 million in endorsements. She’s set to make her return to competitive tennis in the new year, which will include an appearance at the Australian Open.
Combined, the top 20 earners made roughly $226 million in 2023. It’s a drop from the $258 million made in 2022, but the retirement of Williams, who made $41.3 million last year, played a large part in the decrease. Still, the median for the top 20 earners increased from last year to $8.5 million (up from $7.3 million), and eight athletes surpassed $10 million. That number matches last year’s total – which set a record – and is double the number from 2021.
Other athletes inside the top 20 include golfer Nelly Korda, U.S. women’s national soccer players Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, gymnast Simone Biles and WNBA star Candace Parker.
The Telegraph published its list of most influential women in sports, with England goalkeeper Mary Earps taking the top spot.
U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles held the No. 2 spot in the list from the London newspaper.
This year, Earps was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, FIFA Best Women’s Goalkeeper, Women’s World Cup Golden Glove winner, Women’s Super League Golden Glove winner and finished fifth in the Ballon d’Or Feminin voting – the highest finish ever for a goalkeeper. She was also named to Vogue’s “Forces for Change.”
According to The Telegraph, Earps earned her spot at the top of their ranking “not only because of her feats on the pitch, helping England to a first World Cup final – men’s or women’s – since 1966, but because of how she inspires people with her actions off it.”
They also noted that Earps has “very much become the face of the Lionesses” having finished the year as England’s captain, and used her platform for good.
Biles, meanwhile, “solidified her place as the greatest gymnast of all time” this year. Her spot on the list comes after she was named the AP’s Female Athlete of the Year for the third time.
Other high-profile figures in the list’s Top 10 include Billie Jean King (No. 4), NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman (No. 5), US Open champion Coco Gauff (No. 6), and soon-to-be USWNT coach Emma Hayes (No. 7).
Spain soccer player Jenni Hermoso, skier Mikaela Shiffrin and Australian soccer player Sam Kerr also grace the list.
After taking a prolonged hiatus from tennis beginning in 2022, Naomi Osaka has announced that she plans to return to the court in 2024. And she’s bringing other passions with her.
In May 2021, Osaka withdrew from the French Open after becoming the highest paid woman athlete in the world just one year prior. The tennis star cited her absence as a time to work on her mental health — Osaka wrote that she experienced “long bouts of depression” on social media.
“I know where I come from, and I’m so grateful to be here and to be doing the things that I’m doing,” Osaka said. “But for some reason, I just still felt kind of down in the past years of my life.”
Osaka’s most recent tennis match came in September 2022 at the Pan Pacific Open in Japan. Now, 15 months and one childbirth later, she’s announced her plan to return to the tennis court. And along the way, she’s advocating for the destigmatization of mental health and for more paid leave — and more compassion in general — for new mothers.
“I’m fortunate to have the support to go back to work on my own terms, in my own time,” Osaka told InStyle. “So many American parents don’t have that choice, but we all deserve it. It has definitely motivated me to speak up about the lack of paid leave and to advocate for new moms in this country.”
Osaka told InStyle about her other aspirations beyond her tennis and her mental health advocacy, including fashion and storytelling. She attends basketball games in fashionable outfits and sheds light on unseen struggles on her mental health video series, “Can’t Wait to Hear From You,” started by her media company, Hana Kuma.
But she made one thing clear — when she returns to the court, she intends to play like a champion every time. Osaka’s coach, Wim Fissette, best summed up her mindset for her reemergence into the world of tennis.
“It’s not about coming back,” Fissette said. “She really wants to see how good she can possibly be.”
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) December 15, 2023
Serena Williams met with U.S. women’s national team stars after watching their 3-0 win Saturday against China.
The retired tennis great cheered on the USWNT at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, alongside husband Alexis Ohanian and daughter Olympia. The family are investors in NWSL club Angel City FC.
After the match, the 23-time Grand Slam champion took the time to meet with USWNT players, including Trinity Rodman, who contributed a goal and two assists, as well as Midge Purce, Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma, Lynn Williams and Alyssa Thompson.
“She was very sweet, very humble, which is refreshing and amazing,” Rodman said. “And obviously we all look up to her, one of the greatest female athletes in the world. So to meet her in person and see how she was incredible.”
When Rodman met with reporters after the game, she explained her delay by noting that Williams wanted to meet with her. And Williams asked for her jersey from the match — but the 21-year-old forward already had gifted it to a fan. Rodman, though, found another jersey to give to the tennis legend.
“I gave one of my jerseys away to a fan, and then I walked across the field, and somebody said, ‘Serena wants to meet you,’” Rodman said. “I was like, ‘Serena who?’ They were like, ‘Serena Williams.’ I walked over there, and she’s like, ‘Can I have your jersey?’ I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ I dug in the dirty bag from the beginning of the half to find mine and gave it to her.”
The USWNT will close out the year with another friendly against China at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday in Frisco, Texas.
Olympia is a big fan 💙
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) December 2, 2023
👋 OH and hi, @alexisohanian & @serenawilliams pic.twitter.com/v2JI37WgOm
Players are calling for changes to the WTA, including improvements that prioritize their health and well-being.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek said that players “are not happy with some things” following her win Wednesday over Coco Gauff at the WTA Finals. Other players outlined their concerns in an Oct. 5 letter to WTA CEO Steve Simon, as well as during two meetings with tour leadership.
Players’ requests included higher pay, a more flexible schedule and guaranteed income for maternity leave and injuries. The signatories of the letter also objected to a planned change in rules that will govern mandatory tournament appearances. While Swiatek, along with Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, did not sign the letter, the 22-year-old star shared her thoughts while at the WTA Finals.
“I feel like everything is just based on wanting to have more and more, but not really taking care of our well-being and health,” Swiatek said. “There are some things that the WTA could change for us without any impact on the tournaments and the things that they already agreed with the tournaments.”
Simon responded to players’ concerns in a letter obtained by The Associated Press. Topics being discussed by the WTA board, tournament council and players’ council include scheduling and tournament standards – including late-night matches – as well as inconsistencies in tennis balls used throughout the season, anti-doping efforts, plus marketing and social media.
“A great deal is being done and … there is a great deal of alignment in the areas you have raised and what is being worked on,” Simon wrote, promising an update the week of Nov. 13.
“I really feel like we — me and the other players, like, Ons [Jabeur], Coco … and also some players that didn’t qualify for the finals — we’re really, really united, and we think the same way,” Swiatek said. “So most of us, even the young ones, the older ones, we all know that this is kind of not good that we’re going to have more mandatory tournaments. And so we want to really, really have an impact.”
This year’s WTA Finals are being held in Cancun, Mexico, with a temporary hard court set up on a golf course. It’s been criticized by Swiatek and other players, both for the quality and for only being available for practice right before competition began.
On Sunday, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka called the conditions at the WTA Finals “another level of disrespect.”
The group stage of the WTA Finals continues at 5 p.m. ET Friday. The semifinals will take place on Saturday, Nov 4, while the finals are set for 7 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 5.