(Getty/Quinn Rooney) You wouldn't need to be the biggest tennis fan to have come across the controversy surrounding the ban on Whoop bands. For those unaware, a Whoop band is a screenless fitness tracking device that can be worn just like a regular watch, with its purpose to monitor players' body strain, recovery, and sleep to help optimise performance. It is designed to collect data that is then turned into suggestions and insights. Although they may seem harmless, world No.

Olivia Gadecki and John Peers have booked their spot in the mixed doubles final with a thrilling win over Nikola Mektić and Taylor Townsend on Margaret Court Arena, with a 7-6(2) 2-6 13-11 victory.   Playing in front of a huge crowd, Gadecki and Peers served incredibly well to take the set to a tiebreak before bringing their best level in the tiebreak to take a set advantage. The experienced Townsend and Mektić fought back in the second set before Gadecki and Peers took the l

(Getty/David Gray) Six months ago at Wimbledon, Grigor Dimitrov was two sets to the good against then world No.1 Jannik Sinner, only to be cruelled by a devastating torn pectoral injury, which forced a premature retirement four games into the third set. On Wednesday, fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti experienced similar heartbreak, as he had to retire up to sets to love against an underwhelming Novak Djokovic Musetti, who had a stellar 2025 season topped off by qualifying for his ma

(Getty/Lintao Zhang) Australian doubles is looking strong as Olivia Gadecki and John Peers and Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans booked their spots in the semi-finals of mixed doubles and men's doubles respectively, with straight sets victories.   Gadecki and Peers took on Aleksandra Krunić and Mate Pavić, who had defeated two all-Australian pairs on their way to the final and looked strong from the outset, taking a dominant first set 6-1 in 22 minutes, before Krunić and Pavić fo

(Getty/Cameron Spencer) Iga Świątek is now just three matches away from completing the career Grand Slam. Having won four French Opens, a Wimbledon, and a US Open, the Australian Open is her final piece of the puzzle. Świątek has reached the semi-finals in 2022 and 2025, and now it's former finalist Elena Rybakina standing in the way of another appearance in the semis. Their head-to-head stands at 6-5 for Świątek , but to her, that makes absolutely no difference once the two

(Getty/Clive Brunskill) The WTA Tour has been rocked by "inappropriate" coaching allegations, raised by two former players, including former world No.3 Pam Shriver, according to The Athletic. Those complaints are directed at Peyton Stearns' current coach, Rafael Font de Mora, with the WTA now swiftly taking action to get to the bottom of alleged misconduct and inappropriate relationships with players during previous coaching stints. Font de Mora has recently started coaching

Craig Tiley speaking at the Australian Open. (Getty/Morgan Hancock) The fact that the Australian Open is the only one of the four Grand Slams where the Tournament Director is also the national association's CEO surely means that when the all-powerful Craig Tiley announces as early as next week that he is joining the USTA, Tennis Australia will be left with two key roles to fill. Few administrators are as closely identified with an event as Tiley, who has run the AO since 2006

Marc Polmans and Jason Kubler look to go on a deep doubles run at Melbourne Park. (Getty/Lintao Zhang) Wildcard pairings Olivia Gadecki and John Peers, Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans and Kim Birrell and Talia Gibson have all booked their spots in the quarter-finals of the doubles draws at Melbourne Park, capping off a strong Australian doubles contingent.   Defending champions Gadecki and Peers opened up on Margaret Court Arena on Sunday and showed instant chemistry to take th

(Getty/Morgan Hancock) For an Aussie ranked No.6 in the world and playing some of his best tennis at his home Slam, there sure isn't a Hewitt-like hype following Alex de Minaur around Melbourne Park.  In fact, public sentiment suggests his upcoming quarter-final against Spaniard Carlos Alcataz is a fait accompli.   Such pessimism arguably sells our top-ranked Australian short, and he doesn't like it.  You can understand that from his perspective, too. His continual improvemen

Stan Wawrinka shows his appreciation to the crowd on John Cain Arena after playing his final Australian Open match. (Getty/Hannah Peters) As the sun began to set on Stan Wawrinka's career in Australia, he conjured up the crowd one last time. They had been raucous all match, with Wawrinka often encouraging them with a hand signal or a clap, which only cranked up the stadium's volume. With opponent Taylor Fritz serving for the match at 15-all, the American had to abort his ball

(Getty/Robert Prange) Popular tennis commentator and former Australian Open champion Jim Courier has shared fascinating insight into backroom talks involving a dispute involving world No.2 Iga Świątek and tournament rights holders Channel 9. Świątek, who is bidding to complete the career Slam in Melbourne, is scheduled first up on Rod Laver Arena tonight at 7pm against Aussie qualifier Maddison Inglis. The First Serve Live returns on Monday February 2nd at 8pm AEDT for its 18

(Getty/Martin Keep) Many were expecting a nail-biting contest on Rod Laver Arena between Alexander Bublik and Alex de Minaur. It was anything but. A ruthless display from the Demon helped avenge his two losses to Bublik, sealing back-to-back quarter-final berths at Melbourne Park with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 triumph, taking just over 90 minutes. It remained competitive at 4-4 in the first set until an untimely double fault helped de Minaur to grab a one-set advantage, and from there,

Alexander Bublik has transformed himself as a person and a tennis player.   The 28-year-old Kazakh has always been an entertainer; a floater no seed wants to see in their draw, but also one capable of unravelling in quick fashion.   His talent is undeniable; six-foot-five with a destructive serve and just about every trick shot in the book. And given his ability, Bublik has undoubtedly underperformed in his career to date.   The 2026 Australian Open is Bublik’s 10th campaign

(Getty/William West) There is an old saying commonly attributed to a Roman philosopher that says, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity".  The idea being that luck isn't random or the result of cosmic good fortune, but rather that luck is the result of being ready to seize an unexpected opening.   For American Ben Shelton, this 2026 Australian Open might be his opportunity to make his first Grand Slam final. Drawn in the bottom half of the men's singles dra

A fired-up Jakub Menšík in action against Ethan Quinn. (Getty/Lintao Zhang) Jakub Menšík has made his deepest run at a Grand Slam yet, reaching the fourth round of the 2026 Australian Open. The 20-year-old Czech, seeded No.16, now faces Novak Djokovic in a rematch of their 2025 Miami Open final. In that famous encounter, Mensik claimed his first ATP title by defeating the 24-time Grand Slam champion in straight sets, marking one of the biggest surprises of the year. In hindsi

The words "oh no, not again" would've been ringing through Novak Djokovic's mind when he came within centimetres of being disqualified from the 2026 Australian Open. During his third round match against Botic van de Zandschulp, Djokovic almost hit a ballgirl after frustratingly blasting a ball in her direction, who was positioned next to the net. The chair umpire gave the 38-year-old a stern look before resuming play without issuing a warning. The First Serve Live returns on

(Getty/Hannah Peters) Day 7 of the Australian Open has been plunged into complete carnage, with play suspended on the outside courts due to extreme heat. Knowing that Saturday was going to reach a top of 38 degrees, tournament organisers sprang into action early by pushing forward the schedule by half an hour to commence at 10:30am instead of 11am. But just after 2:30pm, the Australian Open confirmed that the Heat Stress Scale had surpassed 5.0, meaning extra measures have b

(Getty/Robert Prange) There's the Grand Slam (aka the pinnacle). A club with just Don Budge (1938), Maureen Connolly (1953), Rod Laver (1962, 1969) and Steffi Graf (1988) as members. There's the Golden Slam (which adds the Olympic title in the same calendar year). Still Graf's exclusive domain. Then there's the career Grand Slam (all four majors, at least once), achieved by 18 singles greats, but just 10 in the Open era, and most recently Novak Djokovic in 2016. Add the surfa

Li Tu and James McCabe. (Getty/Morgan Hancock) Wildcards Li Tu and James McCabe have pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament so far, stunning the No.1 seeds in men's doubles, Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, 7-6(5) 6-4, to headline a strong contingent of doubles results on Day 6 at the Australian Open.   Cash and Glasspool broke early, then failed to serve out the first set, with the Aussies harnessing the energy of an electric crowd at ANZ Arena to take the tiebreak.

Yulia Putintseva is through to the second week of the Australian Open for the first time, after a 6-3 6-7(3) 6-3 victory over Turkey’s Zeynep Sönmez, in a clash filled with drama.