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Emma Raducanu is ‘a long way’ from reaching the physical levels required to compete with the best players in the game, according to respected commentator Nick Lester.

Raducanu went out of the Australian Open in the second round in Melbourne after a defeat against Anastasia Potapova, with the British No 1 suggesting she is not happy with the direction of her career after a straight sets defeat.

After achieving her aim of securing a seeded position for the first Grand Slam of 2026, Raducanu went out of the tournament in limp fashion and that was primarily due to her latest injury issue.

The 2021 US Open champion has been struggling with a foot injury that severely hampered her off-season and she admitted her first competitive set in two months came when she took on Maria Sakkari at the United Cup earlier this month.

Now Lester has given his verdict on Raducanu, as he appeared on the latest episode of the Off Court with Greg podcast.

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“Everything we are hearing in Melbourne is that physically, she is still a long way off where she needs to be by comparison with the players she wants to be matching,” said Lester.

“Health wise it has been a challenge for her. I think getting stronger and finding a way to add a few more weapons to her game to hurt the best players in the world is going to be a challenge.

“Then I guess, for her, it’s about finding ways to win on days when she is not playing her best tennis. That’s the next step for her.

“Hopefully she can get a good run of events together, as she did last year.”

When identifying the players who have worked hard to improve their physicality and take their game to the next level, Lester identified the three dominant stars of the women’s game as he named Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.

“On the physical side, she is still behind her peers in terms of being able to stay with those players,” he added on Raducanu. “You look at Sabalenka, you look at Swiatek and you look at Guaff and athletically, they have advanced their careers.

“Coco and Iga are the two best athletes in this sport by quite a distance. They move so well, they cover the court so well and the injuries and the body is a little more frail for Emma at the moment.”

Raducanu suggested she was not happy with the tactics she was using in big moments after her defeat against Potapova, sparking speculation that she may split with coach Franciso Roig.

Yet Lester is convinced the coach who has worked with Rafael Nadal can add a lot to Raducanu’s game.

“From what I’ve heard, Francisco is an outstanding coach,” he added. “His attention to detail is of the highest order. 

“People who were behind the scenes at the United Cup and saw him working were very impressed. He is held in very high regard and hopefully that’s a partnership that has got some length to it. I think he is someone most players would want in their corner.”

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu’s next three WTA events after early Australian Open exit

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There were a couple of ways to look at Novak Djokovic’s fiery win against Botic van de Zandschulp in the third round of the Australian Open and they will be decided by familiar lines of allegiance.

Djokovic devotees will celebrate the fire that was oozing out of their hero as he overcame an opponent who recovered miraculously from what threatened to be a match-ending shoulder injury to produce some threatening tennis in the second and third sets.

It was no surprise that Djokovic referenced the ‘incredible treatment’ Van de Zandschulp received in his on-court interview after a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) victory that gave him a remarkable 400th match win at a Grand Slam tournament.

That recovery from Van de Zandschulp clearly annoyed Djokovic and that contributed to one of those agitated performances that have been so familiar from the Serbian legend down the years.

Anyone doubting Djokovic’s passion to defy the odds and win another Grand Slam title in the year that will see him mark his 39th birthday needed to watch his latest win, as the drive, passion and desire that have been lacking for Novak at times over the last couple of years were there in abundance.

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Those who are not Djokovic fans will spin this latest performance in a very different way.

This was the latest occasion when Djokovic used the unwanted contribution of the fans to fire him up, with his plea to the chair umpire not to be polite when he asked the fans to stay quiet during points, evidence of his annoyance.

His mood so nearly resulted in another flashpoint mid-way through the second set as he fired a ball in anger and narrowly missed the ball kid perched at the net.

If his random aim on his strike had diverted the ball into the face of the ball kid, this match would have been notable for being the second time Djokovic was disqualified in a Grand Slam event after his famous 2020 exit at the US Open after he struck a linesperson with a ball.

Djokovic held his hands up, saying: “I apologise for that. That was not necessary and in the heat of the moment. I was lucky there, and I’m sorry for causing any distress to the ball kid or anybody.”

This latest performance was Djokovic in all of his glorious technicolour and he even threw in his gesture of holding his hand to his ear at the end of the match as he taunted the fans who dared to disrespect him.

When his mind cleared and he spoke to Jim Courier in front of those fans, he admitted his attitude can let him down at times.

He also insisted he is not getting carried away with his impressive form in Melbourne so far.

“I’m not getting ahead of myself,” said Djokovic. “Last year I learned the lesson, got too excited too early, in some of the Grand Slams, playing really well and getting to the semis, and then getting injured in three out of the four.

“I’m still trying to give these young guys a push for their money. I’m still around, I’m hanging in there.

“Alcaraz and Sinner are the two best players in the world, they’re playing on a different level to all of us right now.

“But when you enter the court and the ball rolls, you always have a chance. Particularly here, the court which has given me the most in my career.”

Djokovic’s oratory skills were in evidence after the match and when you hear him speak with such clarity and honesty, it shows a very different side to the firebrand that has long since secured his place as the greatest male tennis player of them all.

His latest performance on and off the court also confirmed the fire that he will need to drive him towards another Grand Slam title is still very much burning inside him.

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic ‘very lucky’ to escape Australian Open disqualification for ‘violent gesture’ – tennis great

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Novak Djokovic has done very little wrong at this year’s Australian Open and now his bid to win a record-extending 11th title has received an expected boost.

The tennis great booked his place in the hard-court Grand Slam without having to lift a racket in the fourth round after his opponent, the 20-year-old, Jakub Mensik withdrew due to an abdominal injury.

“This is a tough one to write. After doing everything we could to keep going, I have to withdraw from the Australian Open due to an abdominal muscle injury that has progressed over the last matches,” the 16th-seeded Czech wrote.

“After a long discussions with my team and doctors we decided not to step on court tomorrow.

“Even though I’m disappointed, making the fourth round here for the first time is something I will carry with me for a long time. I felt so much energy from the fans and the atmosphere in Melbourne was truly special.”

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Mensik was certainly expected to give Djokovic his biggest challenge to date at the 2026 major as the last time they met the then 19-year-old stunned his idol 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4) on the hard courts of the Miami Open to win his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title.

Djokovic had won their only other encounter 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 6-4 at the Shanghai Masters in 2024.

Novak Djokovic Time Spent On Court

With the walkover, the 38-year-old will certainly be fresh for his last-eight match against either fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti or ninth seed Taylor Fritz as he will have a rest day while the two slug it out in the Melbourne heat on Monday.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner is also yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park as he beat Pedro Martinez, Francesco Maestrelli and Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets while Musetti has played one four-setter and one five-setter, and Fritz dropped two sets.

As for time spent on court so far, none of his three matches lasted more than three hours as he needed exactly two hours to beat Martinez, 2h15 to see off Maestrelli before van de Zandschulp tested him in 2h44.

And if that is not enough, his record against both Musetti and Fritz is impeccable as he leads his rivalry with the Italian 9-1 while he is 11-0 in the head-to-head with Fritz with the American winning only four sets in those 11 matches.

The post How much time has Novak Djokovic spent on court after walkover into quarter-final? appeared first on Tennis365.

Former British No 1 Laura Robson has dismissed conspiracy theories that have been floated by some cynics following Jannik Sinner’s fortune escape in his match against Eliot Spizzirri.

Sinner was gripped by full-body cramps as the extreme heat in Melbourne took its toll on him and it seemed as if he would not be able to get through the match.

Just as Sinner was struck down, the heat rule came into effect as tournament chiefs stopped the match and closed the roof, which gave the defending champion time to recover and get back on court to record a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Inevitably, social media platforms were full of comments from fans of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic suggesting the rules were bent to ensure Sinner would remain in the event.

Yet that theory carries very little weight, as the heat rule kicked in across all courts at the Australian Open and Sinner’s match was, in fact, the last to be halted due to the extreme temperatures.

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Robson was quick to rule out any desire by Australian Open chiefs to manipulate the rules and allow Sinner to have some recovery time.

“There is no way he could have finished this match,” said Robson on TNT Sports.

“He was talking to Darren Cahill and saying I don’t know if I can do this. Darren was saying just walk through the third set and get off the court because they knew there was a very good chance that the heat rule was coming in.

“He certainly got lucky. People will be convinced that there were other factors in play and that the tournament did it on purpose, but genuinely it was boiling at that point of the day and it was pure kismet that the match stopped when it did.

“We sat off for seven or eight minutes and the ten-minute heat rule that came in at the end of the third [set]. Things just fell his way.”

Robson’s fellow TNT Sports analyst Tim Henman described the break for Sinner as a ‘massive slice of luck’, as he suggested the defending champions as very nearly counted out.

“If that went for another seven or eight minutes and the heat rules doesn’t come in, he can stand out on the court, but he loses the third set for sure.

“Once he had time to go off court, the temperature drops in Rod Laver Arena, his core body temperature drops as well and he started to feel a little bit better. He was able to loosen up and find a way through.”

Sinner will be grateful that he has two days to recover before his next match, but he will be keen to avoid playing in the daytime slots again as that may well be the biggest threat to his title hopes.

READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner was ‘absolutely cooked’ and ‘going home’ without Australian Open heat interruption

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Rising star Victoria Mboko’s debut campaign at the Australian Open came to an end in the fourth round as she was comfortably beaten by world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

The 19-year-old Mboko was seeded 17th for her maiden appearance in the main draw at Melbourne Park and she beat Australian wildcard Emerson Jones and American Caty McNally in straight sets in the first two rounds.

She dropped her first set in the third round against 14th seed Clara Tauson as she secured a 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 6-3 win to set up a round of 16 showdown with two-time champion Sabalenka.

The top seed produced an emphatic display on the day as she won 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) for her 24th win in 25 matches at Melbourne Park, but the four-time Grand Slam winner had special praise for her opponent.

“What an incredible player for such a young age. It’s incredible to see these kids coming up on tour,” the 27-year-old stated.

“I can’t believe I say that, I feel like I’m a kid still but whatever. Incredible player. Pushed me really hard today.

“Super happy with the win. Once again in straight sets. She played incredible tennis. She pushed me so much. Happy to be through.”

WTA Ranking Points Earned By Mboko

Players earn 240 points for reaching the round of 16 at Grand Slams, but they also have to defend points from the corresponding period 12 months ago as the WTA uses a rolling 52-week, cumulative system.

So while Mboko picked up 240 points, she also dropped 81 points from her Petit-Bourg and Georgia’s Rome Tennis Open title runs on the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour in 2025.

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It means she added only 159 points to her current tally, taking her to 2,606 points, which is good enough for a three-place jump to a new career-high of No 13 in the Live Rankings.

However, with several players below her still in action, she could still drop down.

Prize Money Earned

Mboko’s career prize money earnings were $1,797,098 before the tournament with $290,500 of that added in the first few weeks of 2026.

The teenager has earned another A$480,000 ($323,088) for her run to the last 16 to break through the $2m mark in career earnings.

Mboko will next be in action at the Abu Dhabi Open where she is scheduled to be seeded sixth in her debut campaign at the WTA 500 event in the Middle East.

The post Victoria Mboko’s prize money and WTA Rankings points from Australian Open appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic revealed how he is feeling physically and also apologised for almost hitting a ball girl after an incident-packed third round win at the 2026 Australian Open.

The 10-time Australian Open champion has progressed to the last 16 without dropping a set after he downed 75th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(7-4) on Rod Laver Arena.

In the third set against his Dutch opponent, Djokovic suffered an injury scare as he fell to the court after an awkward movement involving his ankle when he tried to change direction.

In his on-court interview, Djokovic explained to Jim Courier that the medical timeout he took was not related to his fall.

“Actually, a few points before I almost twisted my ankle I asked for the physio, so I was planning to see him for my blisters,” the 38-year-old Serbian said.

“Then thankfully I managed to have a good fall if you can say so and kind of protect myself. Yeah, things could have been very ugly in that moment.”

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Asked how his body felt, the world No 4 said: “[I feel] really good. It’s been a great start to the tournament. Obviously things can change.

“I’m not getting ahead of myself, last year I learned the lesson, got too excited too early, in some of the Grand Slams, playing really well and getting to the semis, and then getting injured in three out of the four.

“I’m still trying to give these young guys a push for their money. I’m still around, I’m hanging in there.

“[Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner are the two best players in the world, they’re playing on a different level to all of us right now.

“But when you enter the court and the ball rolls, you always have a chance. Particularly here, the court which has given me the most in my career.”

Late in the second set, Djokovic came close to hitting a ball girl at the side of the net with a ball he struck in frustration after a point.

In his press conference, Djokovic was asked if he felt fortunate he did not hit the ball girl, which would have likely resulted in disqualification.

“Yeah, I apologise for that,” Djokovic said. “Yeah, that was not necessary. In the heat of the moment I… yeah, I was lucky there. And I’m sorry for causing any distress to the ball kid or anybody.”

Djokovic, who is chasing a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title and his first since the 2023 US Open, will face 16th seed Jakub Mensik in the fourth round.

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Eliot Spizziri believes that the controversial implementation of the heat rule during his Australian Open match against Jannik Sinner was ‘funny timing’, but that it adhered to the rules.

The American found himself possessing a surprising scoring advantage during his third-round match against the world No 2, leading 3-1 in the third set after splitting the first two sets.

Even more importantly, Sinner was being severely limited by cramp which had worked its way up from his calf to the rest of his body.

The two-time defending champion’s physical state was diminished due to the 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) temperature on Rod Laver Arena.

As a result, the tournament’s ‘heat rule’ was put into effect after reaching the maximum level of five.

That scale is influenced by four key factors – strength of the sun, air temperature in the shade, relative humidity and wind speed – which, when peaked, lead to play being suspended.

For those on the show courts, play is only suspended for as long as it takes for the roof to be closed, with air conditioning providing additional comfort to both players.

For the clash between Sinner and Spizzirri, the disruption led to a 10-minute stoppage.

“Yeah, I don’t know if he got saved by it,” remarked the American.

“You know, I smiled a little bit when the heat rule went into effect, just because it was kind of funny timing as I went up 3-1.

“But at the same time, you know, the game at 2-1 in the third set was when the heat, when it hit, I think it’s 5.0, which means that the heat rule is in effect.

“So whenever that game was over, whether I broke or whether he held, we were going to close the roof.

“It was just funny that right when I broke and he was wobbling, that it happened to happen that way.”

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Sinner recovered well from the suspension of play, breaking back straight away to win four of the final five games of the set to claim it 6-4.

Spizzirri was unable to recapture the sensational form which he had produced in the first half of the match, although he was aided by the cramps somewhat returning to the Italian in the fourth set.

The American broke for 3-1, but was broken back immediately after the world No 2 struck down multiple kamikaze winners, before taking the final set 6-4.

“That’s the rules of the game, and, you know, you got to live with it,” added Spizzirri.

“If I had won that third set, we were going to have a ten-minute break anyways because of how hot it was, even if the roof didn’t close. So who knows?

“We’ve seen him do this before where there’s an extended break, and he gathers himself and comes out and figures it out.

“I think he did it against maybe Holger Rune one time, if I’m not mistaken, at this tournament.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t say, like, he got saved by it.

“He’s too good of a player to say that, but at the same time, you know, it was, you know, challenging timing, and that’s just the nature of the sport.

“You could say that. I don’t know (smiling). You could say it’s lucky, but he’s also very experienced and handled it, you know, pretty well, I would say.”

As Spizzirri mentioned, cramps are not novel to Sinner, having struggled against Rune in a fourth-round clash at last year’s edition of the Melbourne tournament.

Additionally, the Italian was forced to retire against Tallon Griekspoor in the third set of the Beijing Open last season – again, due to cramps.

Nonetheless, Sinner will now have 48 hours of rest before facing compatriot Luciano Darderi, who triumphed over No 15 seed Karen Khachanov.

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Former world No 4 Tim Henman proclaimed that Jannik Sinner was “absolutely cooked” and heading out of the Australian Open before play was suspended due to heat rules.

Sinner, who is the two-time reigning Australian Open champion, looked in serious danger during his third round match with world No 85 Elliot Spizzirri.

The world No 2 was suffering badly with fully body cramps as temperatures rose as high as 38 degrees Celsius, and he trailed 1-3 in the third set when the match was stopped due to the tournament’s extreme heat policy.

Play was suspended for 10 minutes and the Rod Laver Arena roof was closed, giving Sinner a chance to recover and allowing the temperature to drop.

The 24-year-old Italian broke back immediately after play resumed and managed to seal a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win after a major scare.

Reacting to the match on TNT Sports, Henman had no doubt that Sinner’s tournament would have been over if the match had not been stopped.

“It was only three games into the third set and Sinner’s going into a full body cramp, at that moment in time, you said his race is run, you thought that he was going to be out of the tournament,” said the six-time major semi-finalist.

“And then just as the heat rule came in, they shut the roof, it gave Sinner a break, it gave him the opportunity to get off the court and regroup, and once the roof was shut, the ambient temperature in the arena comes down, his body temperature came down, and he was able to make a recovery.

“But it was an absolute get out of jail free card today.”

The Brit continued: “He couldn’t have been in more trouble, he was absolutely cooked out there. But he’s got a lifeline.

“It makes me think back to [Sinner’s match against Grigor] Dimitrov at Wimbledon. [Sinner was] down two sets to love and then suddenly Dimitrov blows out his pec muscle, has to retire.

“This is on similar lines. He had to earn it by winning the third and fourth, but without that interruption, he goes home for sure.”

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Four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier praised Sinner for his composure.

“There was a lot going on,” said the former world No 1.

“Remember last year against Holger Rune, he was in a lot of trouble on a hot day just like this in the fourth round.

“He survived that one when the net broke and he got about 20 extra minutes in the air conditioning, so this was a game-changer for Jannik Sinner.

“It didn’t happen straight away, it took him time for his body to really cool down, the core temperature finally coming down.

“Spizzirri was not able to hold onto the break early and that was really costly for Eliot, who did look much better in the heat.

“But this is one of those matches where it was just about survival and using his guile, because it was his mind that got him through this as much as anything.

“He didn’t panic, he knew he was in trouble, but he stayed calm and that’s one way to make sure the cramps don’t get worse.”

Watch the Australian Open on Eurosport, TNT Sports, HBO Max and discovery+

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Tennis great Justine Henin has asserted that Novak Djokovic was “very lucky” to avoid disqualification at the 2026 Australian Open after making a “violent gesture” during his latest victory.

Djokovic defeated world No 75 Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) after two hours and 44 minutes in the third round of the Australian Open on Rod Laver Arena.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion looked to be cruising when leading 6-3, 3-0 with a double break in the second set, but his 30-year-old Dutch opponent improved after a medical timeout for a shoulder issue.

When leading 6-3, 4-2 in the second set with van de Zandschulp serving, Djokovic smashed a ball in anger after a point and came close to hitting a ball girl at the side of the net.

In the third set, the 38-year-old Serbian came back from 1-3 down and fought off two set points when serving at 5-6.

Djokovic was infamously defaulted in his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the 2020 US Open for hitting a line judge with a ball he struck in frustration.

While commentating on the match for Eurosport, former world No 1 Henin said Djokovic was fortunate to escape given he hit the ball far harder than he did when disqualified at the US Open.

“It’s still crazy after what happened to him at the US Open,” said the seven-time Grand Slam champion

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“He’s played a lot of matches since his disqualification at the 2020 US Open, but it’s certainly still in the back of his mind.

“But at the same time, when you’re caught up in the moment, the emotions… You can feel them overflowing in Djokovic.

“He’d been trying to contain it for a few games. It came out, and he was lucky, very lucky, in that situation.

“We immediately saw the umpire look at him and try to talk to him. It was impossible; Djokovic wasn’t going to look at him at that moment.

“I don’t even know if Novak responded to him during the change of ends. This gesture is more violent than the one at the US Open, yes.”

What next for Novak Djokovic?

Djokovic will face either 16th seed Jakub Mensik or the unseeded Ethan Quinn in the last 16 at Melbourne Park.

READ NEXT: Naomi Osaka withdraws from Australian Open after she dominated headlines

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Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the 2026 Australian Open due to an injury shortly before her third round match and admitted having to stop her run “breaks my heart.”

The four-time major winner was due to face 168th-ranked Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis in the last match on Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night.

However, Osaka announced during the penultimate match on Rod Laver Arena — Novak Djokovic’s third round contest against Botic van de Zandschulp — that she had pulled out.

Osaka, an Australian Open champion in 2019 and 2021, revealed the unfortunate news in a statement on Instagram.

“I’ve had to make the difficult decision to withdraw to address something my body needs attention for after my last match,” wrote Osaka.

“I was so excited to keep going and this run meant the most to me, so having to stop here breaks my heart, but I can’t risk doing any further damage so I can get back on the court.

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“Thanks for all the love and support… I’m so grateful everyone embraced me so much. And thank you to my whole team for always having my back and the tournament organisers for being so kind.”

An abdominal injury was cited as the reason for Osaka’s withdrawal.

Osaka had battled to earn three-set wins against Antonia Ruzic and Sorana Cirstea in her first and second round matches at Melbourne Park.

The former world No 1 made plenty of headlines during her Australian Open campaign; starting with the fashion statement she made before her opening round match.

The Japanese star entered the court for her match with Ruzic wearing a jellyfish-inspired turquoise and white outfit that featured a veil and umbrella.

Osaka then sparked complaints from Cirstea in the pair’s second round contest by saying “come on” to herself between her Romanian opponent’s first and second serves.

The 28-year-old faced criticism from WTA Tour legends Martina Navratilova and Lindsay Davenport over her “tennis etiquette” against Cirstea.

Naomi Osaka was criticised by Novak Djokovic’s wife over Sorana Cirstea incident

Novak Djokovic’s wife, Jelena Djokovic, took to Instagram to label Osaka’s actions against Cirstea “disrespectful.”

“I’m surprised that this is not being called hindrance,” Jelena Djokovic wrote.

“In between two serves, when crowds are applauding or shouting, the chair umpire asks not to shout between serves as it is disturbing to the player.

“The point is not finished. Sorana missed her first serve and is focusing on getting in the second, it is a slight pause. And is disrespectful to applaud at someone’s first serve mistake too.”

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