Women's tennis

FILE - In this May 31, 2009, file photo, Sweden's Robin Soderling, right, and defending champion Spain's Rafael Nadal walk back to their seats during their fourth round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. Soderling won 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2). It wasn't just that Nadal was unbeaten through 31 matches at the French Open and considered a lock to become the first man with five consecutive titles there. It's also that Soderling never had been past the second round at any major.(AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

Memorable French Open matches: Nadal-Soderling, Serena-Venus

Jun. 4, 2020 12:08 PM EDT

Rafael Nadal’s first French Open loss. Serena Williams’ first victory over Venus Williams in a major final. Ivan Lendl’s comeback against John McEnroe. And, five years later, Michael Chang’s comeback against Lendl. Sporting events can be memorable for all sorts of reasons, and...

FILE- In this Monday, May 25, 2009, image, Spain's Rafael Nadal slides in the clay as he returns the ball to Brazil's Marcos Daniel during a first round match at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. Sliding is one of the keys to success at the French Open, with the ability to glide along the ground to reach shots that others can't, is one of the skills that makes Rafael Nadal so successful on clay courts, although the start of the French Open postponed until September because of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

Don't be a 'cow on ice': Sliding key to French Open success

Jun. 2, 2020 11:03 AM EDT

Before Roger Federer briefly returned to clay-court tennis in 2019 — a decade removed from his French Open title — his confidence was low, he explained, “because I don’t even remember how to slide anymore.” Before Maria Sharapova figured out the necessary footwork to claim two...

FILE - In this May 2, 2020, file photo, jockey Joel Rosario and Nadal cross the wire to win the second division of the Arkansas Derby horse race at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark. Nadal, who now won't have a shot after an ankle injury in training last week, could have been racing to become trainer Bob Baffert's third Triple Crown winner in six seasons, if not for the coronavirus pandemic. The Belmont Stakes usually wraps up a five-week span that includes the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. All have been pushed back, though the Belmont Stakes will now go first on June 20. (Richard Rasmussen/The Sentinel-Record via AP, File)

What Would Have Been: Triple Crown finale and French finals

Jun. 1, 2020 2:05 AM EDT

The final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown would have been set and the French Open finals would have been contested this week if not for the coronavirus pandemic. While NASCAR is staying busy on the track, and there are signals that other sports could be working toward a return, The Associated Press looks at...

FILE - In this April 8, 2020, file photo, an empty Parkview Field minor league baseball stadium is viewed in downtown Fort Wayne, Ind. Minor league umpires are out of jobs so far and maybe all year with no minor league seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Mike Moore/The Journal-Gazette via AP, File)

The Latest: West Indies cricket cutting pay by 50%

May. 29, 2020 7:06 PM EDT

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: ___ Cricket West Indies has announced a temporary 50% reduction in salaries and funding across the region from July 1. CWI has kept players, staff, umpires and coaches on full pay since the outbreak began, but the lack of any...

FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2020, file photo, Switzerland's Roger Federer speaks during a press conference following his semifinal loss to Serbia's Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia. Federer leads the annual Forbes ranking of highest-paid athletes with what the magazine says is $106.3 million in total earnings. He is the first tennis player top the list since it was first compiled in 1990. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)

Federer tops highest-earning athlete list at more than $100M

May. 29, 2020 2:27 PM EDT

Roger Federer leads the annual Forbes ranking of highest-paid athletes with what the magazine says is $106.3 million in total earnings. He is the first tennis player to top the list since it was first compiled in 1990. The owner of a men’s-record 20 Grand Slam singles titles made $6.3 million of that haul...

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2018, file photo, then-Washington Redskins running back Chris Thompson (25) warms up before an NFL football game against the New York Giants in East Rutherford, N.J. Reporters from The Associated Press spoke to more than two dozen athletes from around the globe -- representing seven countries and 11 sports -- to get a sense of how concerned or confident they are about resuming competition. Thompson is an NFL running back. He’s also the father of a 4-month-old daughter, Kali. “If I go practice or play and I come back home with the virus, she’s not strong enough yet to fight something like that. For me, that’s my biggest worry,” said Thompson, who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars this month after seven seasons with the Redskins. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

AP Exclusive: Athletes wary about virus, testing upon return

May. 28, 2020 2:55 PM EDT

Chris Thompson is an NFL running back. He also is the father of a 4-month-old daughter, Kali. Guess which of those facts matters more to him when he ponders eventually returning to work amid a pandemic. “If I go practice or play and I come back home with the virus ... that’s my biggest...

FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2020, file photo, Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo (13) tries to get around Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic, left, and guard Terrence Ross (31) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla. Reporters from The Associated Press spoke to more than two dozen athletes from around the globe -- representing seven countries and 11 sports -- to get a sense of how concerned or confident they are about resuming competition. What emerged, above all, was a sense that they are going through the very same sort of calculus that much of the rest of society is: What is safe nowadays? (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

'We have to touch each other': Sports in the COVID-19 world

May. 28, 2020 11:27 AM EDT

A sampling of thoughts from some of the more than two dozen athletes from 11 sports that The Associated Press spoke to about resuming competition amid the coronavirus pandemic: ___ “Some players like Steve Nash used to lick his hands. Some people still have that in their routine. Some people wipe the sweat...

FILE - In this June 9, 2019, file photo, Spain's Rafael Nadal reaches for the ball as he plays Austria's Dominic Thiem during the men's final of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium in Paris. If the French Open were being held as scheduled right now, Nadal would have been seeking a 20th Grand Slam title to equal Roger Federer’s record for men. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)

Postponed French Open topics: Rafa's 20th? Serena's 24th?

May. 28, 2020 2:03 AM EDT

If the French Open were being held as scheduled right now -- instead of postponed to September because of the coronavirus pandemic -- Rafael Nadal would have been seeking a 20th Grand Slam title to equal Roger Federer’s record for men. While Federer was going to skip the entire 2020 clay-court circuit...

A general view of the Philippe-Chatrier tennis court with its new retractable roof during a media tour at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Wednesday, May 27, 2020. The French open will moving to September from the end of May because of the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

The Latest: NBA reminding teams players overseas can return

May. 27, 2020 7:13 PM EDT

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: ___ The NBA reminded its teams Wednesday that players who are currently outside the U.S. have been cleared to return, though quarantine rules may apply in some areas. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf signed an...

Grand Slam winners to play in new Charleston tennis event

May. 27, 2020 4:39 PM EDT

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Australian Open champions Victoria Azarenka and Sofia Kenin and U.S. Open winners Sloane Stephens and Bianca Andreescu will take part in the Credit One Bank Invitational team tennis event in Charleston next month. Tournament organizers announced the 16-player event on Wednesday. It...

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