Thunder and lightning saw players and fans rushing for cover, with the heavy rain a headache for organisers who face a match backlog.

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina said Saturday she would put the controversy surrounding her former coach Stefano Vukov to one side to focus on winning the Australian Open.

The first Grand Slam of the year gets under way at Melbourne Park as a 15-day event for the second year running, aimed at cutting down on late-night finishes.

The British player, who faces a tough first round match against Russian 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz won the French Open and Wimbledon titles last year while Sinner claimed the Australian Open and U.S. Open trophies as the pair heralded a new era for the men's game by shutting out 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic has claimed that he was "poisoned" by lead and mercury in his food while he was briefly held in Melbourne in 2022 before being deported on the eve of the Australian Open.

World number one Jannik Sinner was drawn Thursday against big-hitting Nicolas Jarry to start his Australian Open defence while Novak Djokovic is on a collision course to meet Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

World number one Jannik Sinner said Tuesday his "amazing" 2024 was history as he warmed up for the defence of his Australian Open title with a tough exhibition match victory on Melbourne's centre court.

Former world number one Novak Djokovic's Australian Open preparations suffered a blow Friday as he was bundled out of the Brisbane International by towering American Reilly Opelka.

Novak Djokovic on Sunday called for more transparency around doping suspensions in tennis, saying high-ranked players appeared to be treated differently to others.

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka says she and key rival Iga Swiatek have developed a "chilled" relationship off court in contrast to their fierce battles on the big stage.

For over two decades, the "Big Three" of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic dominated the sport, pushing each other to unimaginable heights. Now, a new story begins.

Zverev trails world number one Italian Jannik Sinner by more than 3,000 ranking points, but his confidence is high after winning the Rome and Paris Masters 1000 titles in recent months.

Novak Djokovic is confident he can still win Grand Slams, starting at the Australian Open, with the Serbian kickstarting his bid for an unprecedented 11th title and record 25th major crown in Brisbane this week.

Fraser, a former world number one and winner of 19 Grand Slam titles during the amateur era, died aged 91 earlier this month.

The former world number one lifted three major singles titles, including Wimbledon in 1960, together with 16 Grand Slam doubles crowns

Novak Djokovic is ready to challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the Grand Slam stage when he returns to action at the Australian Open after an underwhelming campaign this year, the 24-times champion said.

Novak Djokovic said shared experiences with Andy Murray make the Scot the "perfect coach" as he bids to win a record 25th Grand Slam in Australia in January.

Romania's Simona Halep on Friday rounded on the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for discrepencies in the treatment of world number two Iga Swiatek after testing positive for a banned substance.

"The player was provisionally suspended from Sept. 22 until Oct. 4, missing three tournaments, which counts towards the sanction, leaving eight days remaining," the ITIA said in a statement.