Ashleigh Barty

Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka became the latest star to pull out of the opening Grand Slam of the year on Jan. 8, leaving the tournament deprived of some of the biggest names in the game.

No reason for the Japanese player's withdrawal was given with organizers Tennis Australia tweeting: "We will miss her at AO2023."

Iga Swiatek was once a bashful, teenage hard-rock fan who watched Rafael Nadal in awe before storming to a memorable Grand Slam triumph at a bleak, COVID-hit autumn edition of the French Open in 2020.

Today, she will be the new world number one.

With Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" in her headphones, the Pole took to the clay courts of Roland Garros in October 2020.

Iga Swiatek was once a bashful, teenage hard-rock fan who watched Rafael Nadal in awe before storming to a memorable Grand Slam triumph at a bleak, COVID-hit autumn edition of the French Open in 2020.

Today, she will be the new world number one.

With Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" in her headphones, the Pole took to the clay courts of Roland Garros in October 2020.

The Laureus World Sports Awards is an annual award ceremony honouring individuals and teams from the world of sports along with sporting achievements throughout the year.

World number one Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic on Sunday won his sixth Wimbledon title.

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will play Australian Lizette Cabrera in the first round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, which will start on Monday in Melbourne, according to the draw on Friday. 2020 semi-finalist Halep, 29, will meet for the first time wildcard Cabrera, 23, world number 140.

In her opening WTA match of 2021, Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, world number two, won her first match of the season at the Gippsland Trophy on Monday 6-4 6-4 against Russian Anastasia Potapova - in the round of 32 of the 565,530-USD tournament in Melbourne, Australia.

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will be in quarantine for 14 days in Adelaide, along with the other three players in the top three spots of the professional tennis world rankings, including Serbian Novak Djokovic and Spanish Rafael Nadal, before travelling to Melbourne to take part in the Australian Open, the organizers were quoted as saying by Reuters.

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, world number three, on Tuesday advanced to the second round of the women's singles event at the Australian Open tournament, the first Grand Slam of the year, after defeating American Jennifer Brady 7-5 (5) 6-1. Seed number 4 Halep, 28, prevailed in an hour and 36 minutes, dominating the second set after a very balanced first one.

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep and German tennis player Angelique Kerber will participate in an exhibition double match, alongside special guests, in Adelaide on Sunday, informed the organisers of the WTA tournament - 2020 Adelaide International, which kicks off Monday.