LONDON: As the new tennis season gets underway this weekend, several top players are in flux with questions over their form and fitness. We look at the varying fortunes of seven big names.
SERENA WILLIAMS
The American great is attempting one of the great comebacks in sport as she returns to the court just four months after becoming a mother. Williams, who welcomed her first child, Alexis Olympia, in September, lost her comeback match yesterday, an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi against French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Williams, who hasn’t played since she won the Australian Open 11 months ago — while pregnant — is expected to defend her title in Melbourne next month. Williams, 36, has won an Open-era record of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, and now stands to equal Margaret Court’s all-time mark of 24. She will take heart from the example of Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, who retired for two years and started a family before winning the 2009 US Open, in what was dubbed the “mother of all comebacks.”
MARIA SHARAPOVA
Russia’s Sharapova will look for a strong start to her season at the Shenzhen Open after a mixed return to the circuit in April following a 15-month drugs ban. The five-time major-winner, one of the highest earners in women’s sport, suffered a string of early defeats before she broke through to win the Tianjin Open in October — her first title since 2015. Next month, Sharapova will play her first Australian Open since 2016 after improving her ranking to 59th. Her best Grand Slam performance of 2017 was reaching the last 16 at the US Open.
RAFAEL NADAL
Defying all expectations, Nadal brilliantly revived his glory days in 2017, winning his 10th French Open and third US Open title, and finishing the season as world No. 1. But familiar injury doubts have made for an uncertain start to the new campaign as Nadal, 31, pulled out of the Brisbane International saying he was “not ready.” Reports have cast doubt over Nadal’s recovery from a right-knee injury after he earlier withdrew from an exhibition appearance in Abu Dhabi. However, Nadal said he’ll play the Australian Open and he has made a habit of overcoming fitness problems throughout his long career.
ROGER FEDERER
The 36-year-old also rolled back the years in 2017 and is showing no signs of slowing down as he builds toward his Australian Open title defense. Federer said he’s fit and ready after a “great” off-season and he made a winning return to action at the Hopman Cup in Perth yesterday. Much will depend on the health of his Big Four rivals, but Federer could continue to set new standards for longevity this year.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Can the “Djoker” regain his smile? King Novak ruled tennis for nearly two years until a sudden loss of form, coinciding with speculation over his private life, in mid-2016. The 12-time major-winner hasn’t played since retiring from the Wimbledon quarterfinals with an elbow injury in July, and he shapes as an unknown quantity heading into the new season. Djokovic, who has Andre Agassi in his coaching team, has his first hit-out against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
ANDY MURRAY
Fitness doubts linger over the British former world No. 1, who has also been off the circuit since July after suffering a hip injury. Murray, 30, began last season as the world No. 1 but he has far more modest goals heading into 2018. “I want to get back to playing tennis, I want to be fit and healthy and that is what is driving me just now,” he told Sky Sports this week. “I was pretty unhealthy for most of this year and I am getting there but it is a slow process.”
VICTORIA AZARENKA
Azarenka’s return from maternity leave this year was complicated by a custody battle over her one-year-old, which forced her to miss much of the season. With her ranking down at 210, the Belarusian former world No. 1 has been handed a wildcard to play the Australian Open, a tournament she has won twice. However, as the legal case drags on, Azarenka announced her withdrawal from next month’s Auckland Classic for personal reasons, casting doubt over her participation in Melbourne.
Plenty to ponder for tennis' big guns
Plenty to ponder for tennis' big guns
Trio share lead ahead of final round of LIV Golf Hong Kong
- Jon Rahm, Thomas Detry and Harold Varner tied after 54 holes as Smash lead team standings
- Rahm helped to organize a private charter from the Middle East for seven LIV Golf players
HONG KONG: For the third time in three starts this season, Jon Rahm will enter the final round in a strong position to earn his first individual LIV Golf victory since 2024.
The Legion XIII captain carded a 5-under 65 on Saturday to climb into a three-way tie for the lead at 17 under with the final round set on Sunday at the HSBC LIV Golf Hong Kong.
“You have to keep putting yourself in contention and giving yourself chances,” said Rahm, who has started the 2026 season with consecutive runner-up finishes. “As long as I’m doing that, I’m playing good golf, take advantage of the opportunities I get, but it’ll come. As I’m playing solid golf, I’m hoping tomorrow I have a good Sunday and get it done.”
For Rahm to claim a win at Greater China’s oldest championship course, he will need to outduel the very man he helped to make his way to Hong Kong Golf Club — 4Aces GC’s Thomas Detry. The Belgian, despite arriving late after being stranded in Dubai, has shown no signs of rust, shooting a 4-under 66 to also join the final group of co-leaders.
“Well, if it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I’d be here,” Detry said of Rahm. “It’s a little bit funny that way. But listen, we’re both competitors, and he’s done it for his teammates. He’s done it for the league. It’s amazing what he did, and he’s a good friend of mine, as well. We’ve played a lot of golf as juniors and on the PGA Tour and everywhere together and out here now. I think we’re just going to have a nice competitive fun round tomorrow, and we’ll see who prevails.”
Rahm helped to organize a private charter from the Middle East for seven LIV Golf players — including Detry, as well as Rahm’s Legion XIII teammates Caleb Surratt and Tom McKibbin — who were stranded when the recent conflict closed the airport in Dubai. He was happy to do so, even if he now has to outduel Detry for the title.
“The way I see it is it’s simply my duty,” Rahm said. “I was raised with certain values, that if you have the ability and capability of helping somebody, especially in a scenario like that where my main focus essentially was getting them out of there, not necessarily playing a tournament. I remember telling Caleb earlier in the week, how about you forget about playing the tournament and we focus on getting you to safety and then we’ll see if you can get to Hong Kong.
“With the ever-changing environment, it looked kind of dark for a second. For a second, at one point, if they went through a different extraction plan, they were going to go to Europe. I was trying to help people in Spain to get them set up to practice in Spain. It looked like coming here was going to be hard. But yeah, here they are. Never thought they would be able to come. It’s amazing that so many of them are safe and that’s the most important thing.”
Rahm and Detry are not alone at the top, as Smash GC’s Harold Varner fired a 7-under 63 to vault himself into a share of the lead. Varner III ranks second for the week in Strokes Gained Approach (+7.50) and first in Strokes Gained Off the Tee on the par 3s.
Varner III, flashing his signature grin, summed up his love for the par 3s perfectly: “Yeah, it’s nice. Par 3s, you get to start from the fairway, so it’s great.”
The 36-hole co-leader, Carlos Ortiz, had an up-and-down day. The Torque GC veteran made the turn at even par after bogeys on holes eight and nine before rebounding nicely with four birdies in his first five holes on the back nine to briefly climb back to 17 under before missing short par putts on holes 16 and 18 to fall two adrift of the lead.
Southern Guards GC’s Dean Burmester shared the co-lead with Ortiz entering Saturday but failed to keep up with the scoring, posting a bogey-free 1-under 69 to reach the clubhouse at 15 under, two shots back of the lead with Ortiz and 4Aces GC’s Thomas Pieters, who had the round of the day with a 9-under 61.
“I’m gutted,” Burmester admitted after the round. “I don’t feel like I did too much wrong, honestly. Maybe tried a little too hard. I don’t know. I hit some amazing golf shots out there. I hit some poor ones, probably on the wrong holes. Hit some great shots. I went bogey-free. Just didn’t make any putts. Got to find a way to lift myself up tomorrow and give it a go.”
Smash GC clings to a narrow two-stroke team lead, powered by Varner III’s scorching round, but with six teams lurking within six strokes, that gap could be eliminated in just a few holes.
