The Historic Opportunity

Sonmez, who reached a career-high ranking of 69 last year and won the WTA Merida Open in 2024, has already broken new ground for Türkiye. She became the first Turkish woman in the Open Era to reach the third round of a major at Wimbledon in 2025 and the first to compete in all four Grand Slam main draws in a single season. A win over Putintseva would surpass the third-round benchmark set 75 years ago by Bahtiye Musluoğlu at the 1950 French Open and establish an unprecedented milestone.

Analyzing the Third-Round Challenge

Her opponent, 31-year-old Yulia Putintseva (world No. 94), is an experienced campaigner with three WTA titles and three Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances to her name, though never at the Australian Open. This will be the first career meeting between the two. The match is scheduled for Kia Arena, following the Tien-Borges contest which begins at 12:40 p.m. local time (0140 GMT).

Context of Turkish Tennis History

The history of Turkish players in Grand Slam singles is sparse. In the modern era, no Turkish man has passed the second round, with Marsel İlhan holding that record. In women's doubles, İpek Şenoğlu reached the third round at the 2004 US Open and 2009 Wimbledon. Sonmez's current run therefore represents the most significant individual achievement in decades, generating immense national pride and inspiring a new generation of athletes in Türkiye. Her performance underscores the growing profile of Turkish tennis on the world stage.

Sonmez made history in London by defeating Xinyu Wang in straight sets, 7-5, 7-5.

She also became the first Turkish player to reach the third round in a singles event at a grand slam in 75 years, after Bahtiye Musluoğlu reached the third round of the French Open in 1950.

The 23-year-old will face the winner of the match between the 69th player in the world, Suzan Lamens from the Netherlands, and world No. 17 Ekaterina Alexandrova from Russia.

Wimbledon, one of the four grand slam tournaments, along with the Australian Open, French Open (Roland Garros) and the US Open, is being played from June 30 - July 13.

The women's singles championship match will be played July 12. The men's title will be determined July 13.

Sonmez, ranked as high as 88th in the world, will directly participate in the first Grand Slam of 2025.

The 22-year-old, who is ranked 93rd in the updated classification, will be the only Turkish tennis player to appear in the Australian Open main table matches this year.

- 4 Turkish athletes in junior, 2 Turkish athletes in para tennis at Australian Open

Four athletes from Türkiye will take part in the Australian Open Junior Tournament, with qualifiers set to start on Jan. 15 and the main table matches on Jan. 18.

Deniz Dilek will compete in the main table, while Ada Kumru, Haydar Cem Gokpınar, and Kerem Yılmaz will compete in the qualifiers.

In para tennis, with first rounds to be played on Jan. 21, Ahmet Kaplan and Ali Ataman will take to the court.

The 22-year-old, who faced Makarova in the first match of the season, won 2-0 in sets of 6-1 and 6-0 against her Russian opponent and reached the final round.

Sonmez will face another Russian tennis player, Polina Kudermetova, in the final round on Sunday.

The Brisbane International, which was established in 2009, is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hardcourts in Brisbane, Queensland in Australia.

"It was one of my biggest dreams. I've been working for this day for 15 years," Sonmez said after the victory at the Merida Open Akron in Mexico.

Sonmez listed her maiden trophy by defeating Ann Li 6-2 and 6-1 in one hour and 10 minutes on the Yucatan Country Club court.

The 22-year-old became the first Turkish player in more than eight years to win a WTA singles title.

Cagla Buyukakcay was the first Turkish WTA (the Women's Tennis Association) singles champion when she clinched the Istanbul title on home soil in 2016.

Djokovic began the game fast as he bagged the first set 6-1 at the Center Court.

But the young Spaniard made a comeback and took the second set with a 7-6 (8-6) tiebreak, then won the third set with a 6-1.

Despite the Serbian legend making a stand in the fourth set with 6-3, Alcaraz claimed the final set 6-4 and reached his second major title in his second final, after bagging the 2022 US Open.

Djokovic, who has 23 grand slam titles, became the first player to reach 35 Grand Slam finals.

Spain's King Felipe VI also watched the match from the Royal Box, in clear support of 20-year-old Spaniard, Alcaraz.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, brought their children Prince George, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 7, to watch the historic match at the Center Court.

Princess Kate, as the royal patron of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, presented the trophy to Alcaraz.

The Polish world No. 1 won the game with sets of 6-7, 7-6 and 6-3 on Center Court.

Jessica Pegula, Elina Svitolina, Marketa Vondrousova and Mirra Andreeva advanced to the next stage after beating their opponents.

The 28-year-old Svitolina qualified for the quarterfinals by edging out two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (11-9).

In men's singles, Andrey Rublev beat Alexander Bublik to move to the next stage after securing a 3-1 win in three hours and 17 minutes.

Rublev, 25, reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time in his career.

In addition to them, Jannik Sinner, Grigor Dimitrov and Roman Safiullin moved into the quarterfinals.

"I'm really sad to say that I have to withdraw from Wimbledon this year," Kyrgios, the 2022 men's singles finalist, said on Instagram on Sunday.

"During my comeback, I experienced some pain in my wrist during Mallorca.

"As a precaution I had it scanned and it came back showing a torn ligament in my wrist," the 28-year-old plater said.

"I tried everything to be able to play and I am disappointed to say that I just didn't have enough time to manage it before Wimbledon," he added.

World no. 33 Kyrgios lost against Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon Championships final.

Tennis Grand Slam tournament Wimbledon starts Monday and will run for two weeks.

On Wednesday, 2022 runner-up Ruud eliminated Danish sixth seed Holger Rune with sets of 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a quarterfinal match at Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris to move into the semifinal stage.

Meanwhile world No. 22 Zverev beat Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to book his place in the semis.

In the other semifinal tie, Spanish top seed Carlos Alcaraz will face Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic, who won the French Open twice (2016 and 2021).

The French Open will run through June 11.

Following football and cricket, badminton has gained immense popularity in Afghanistan, and with TİKA's support, players, referees, uniforms, scoreboards, badminton rackets and shuttlecocks, badminton mats, and other materials were procured, allowing Afghan youth to participate in international standard activities.

The handover ceremony of the sporting equipment provided by TİKA was attended by TC Kabul Embassy Deputy Secretary Emre Manav, Military Attaché Lieutenant Colonel Levent Polat, TİKA Kabul Coordinator Fazıl Akın Erdoğan, Yunus Emre Institute Director Hüseyin Güngör, Afghanistan Badminton Federation President İrşadulhak Sadiqi, Afghanistan Sports and Physical Education National Olympic Committee Press Affairs Officer Atal Muşwanay, Afghanistan Information and Culture Ministry Deputy Youth Minister Hazratullah Şarifi, badminton players, sports enthusiasts, media representatives, and other guests.

Embassy Deputy Secretary Manav expressed that Turkey stands with the Afghan people and wants to make important contributions to all aspects of life, including health, education, and sports.

TİKA Kabul Coordinator Fazıl Akın Erdoğan also expressed his belief that Afghan youth will achieve significant gains in the field of sports, and they want to show the world a normalized face of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Badminton Federation President İrşadulhak Sadiqi stated that Turkey once again demonstrated that it stands with the Afghan people. Sadiqi said, "Afghan youth will compete with the world in badminton, just like in all other sports."

Following the speeches at the ceremony, the prepared equipment was distributed to the players, and all sports enthusiasts were invited to the badminton tournament that will be held.

Badminton Tournament to be Organized

In collaboration with TİKA and the Afghanistan National Badminton Federation, the National Badminton Tournament and National Team Selections will be held in the capital, Kabul, from May 7-14, 2023.

Badminton matches have been suspended in Afghanistan for 2.5 years due to various reasons, but with the support of TİKA, Afghan youth will have the opportunity to showcase their skills and participate in international competitions.

Japanese tennis player said: "my Achilles still isn’t right so I’ll see you next time," along with a long statement about her disappointment.

The 24-year-old also said: "Trying to find the positives in a negative situation so all love. But there goes my grass dreams," from her official Instagram account.

Osaka had a left Achilles tendon injury during her first-round defeat against Amanda Anisimova at 2022 Roland Garros in May.

She has two titles in Australian Open and US Open each, and has never seen past the third round in Wimbledon so far.

Osaka also had to sit out the previous championship due to some mental health issues.

"We will provide support to children from Ukraine - around 6 million Ukrainian children are currently out of school and we know it is an extremely important time to provide access to education and we want to support them in dealing with this extremely traumatic experience to deal with," Federer said on Twitter.

"Through the Roger Federer Foundation we will be supporting War Child Holland with a donation of $500,000 to establish access to continued schooling for Ukrainian children," he added.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial restrictions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 816 civilians have been killed and 1,333 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, the UN said, while noting that figure is actually probably higher.

More than 3.27 million people have also fled to neighboring countries, said the UN refugee agency.

"We must be aware of our forgotten values that can bring humanity together in world situations like today and act together," Bilal Erdogan said in his opening speech of the 5th Ethnosport Forum, which was held in Azerbaijan's capital Baku, and hosted 140 participants from 45 countries on March 5-6.

He also stressed the great importance to preserve values of humanity and carrying them to future generations, saying, "It has become inevitable to cooperate and unite, in order to remove all kinds of sports, culture, tradition and art, which bring people together and take human beings and then all living things, from the dusty pages where they are fading into oblivion and apply to our lives."

The forum procured high-level participation, including the World Ethnosport Confederation (WEC) President Bilal Erdogan, Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan Ferid Gayibov, Minister of Youth and Sports of Turkey Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu, Minister of Sports of Nigeria Adamou Sekou, National Minister of Physical Culture and Sport of Mexico Ana Gabriela Guevara Espinoza, Minister of Sports of Gambia Bakary Y. Badjie, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Program Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkish States Baghdad Amreyev, also the deputy ministers of sports of Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon.

The forum continued with a communication panel, in which communication strategies of traditional sports were discussed.

The Minister of Youth and Sports of Turkey Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu, in a statement to the press after the panel, said that traditional sports are on a rapid rise and their popularity is increasing day by day.

Inviting everyone who is interested in the World Nomad Games in northwestern Turkish city Iznik on September 2022, Kasapoglu said, "There is a great potential. As we join hands and strengthen unity and brotherhood in accordance with the spirit of sports, I believe we will raise the bar in traditional sports branches."

"While I was automatically listed in the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open draw I knew it would be unlikely I’d be able to travel. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has confirmed that regulations won’t be changing so I won't be able to play in the US. Good luck to those playing in these great tournaments," Djokovic said on Twitter on Thursday.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion was previously expelled from Australia and barred from participating in the 2022 Australian Open for skipping COVID-19 vaccination.

In the late February, Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev became the number one in ATP Rankings with 8,615 points, surpassing Djokovic.

After Djokovic, 34, lost to Jiri Vesely in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships quarterfinals, Medvedev guaranteed his place at the top rankings.

Indian Wells Masters started on March 7 in California and will go through March 20. It will be followed by the Miami Open between March 21- April 3.

"I believe the current situation requires a clear position from our organizations: ATP, WTA and ITF. As such, we – Ukrainian players – requested to ATP, WTA and ITF to follow the recommendations of the IOC to accept Russian or Belarussian nationals only as neutral athletes, without displaying any national symbols, colours, flags or anthems," she said in a statement on Monday.

World number 15 Svitolina said she will not play against any Russian or Belarussian tennis players until the organizations take necessary steps, adding that she does not blame any of the Russian athletes for the current crisis.

"They are not responsible for the invasion of our motherland. Moreover, I wish to pay tribute to all the players, especially Russians and Belarussians, who bravely stated their position against the war. Their support is essential," the 27-year-old said.

Potapova, 20, also released a statement following Svitolina's refusal to play against her.

“As a rule, even in childhood we choose our own path of development. Even when I was a kid, I dreamed of playing tennis without choosing a match, a country or a partner in the game. It is difficult to explain to people from politics that for me there is no opponent from any country, I am fighting for victory, my best game, for my result."

She added that athletes are becoming "hostages" of the current situation.

"I’m sorry, but even though I am a stranger to politics, I am against grief, tears and war."

According to daily Al-Watan, Mohammad Al-Awadi withdrew from the Dubai Tennis Championships U-14 semifinals once he found out that he would confront an Israeli player.

Kuwaiti MP Osama Al-Shaheen congratulated Al-Awadi for his decision.

The Dubai Tennis Championships started on Jan. 17 as 300 players from 50 countries are competing in six different minor age categories.

Aleksandar Vucic said Australian authorities harassed “the world’s best tennis player for 11 days to eventually give him the decision they made on the first day.”

“They think that this harassment humiliated Djokovic, but they actually humiliated themselves,” he asserted.

Vucic said Djokovic would have reconsidered his decision to compete in the Australian Open or may have taken the vaccine, if Australian authorities had clarified that unvaccinated people cannot enter the country.

His comments came hours after a three-judge federal court bench unanimously rejected Djokovic’s appeal against the cancellation of his visa.

Djokovic, the top men’s tennis player, had been given a medical exemption by Australian authorities to travel to the country to defend his Australian Open title and chase a record 21st Grand Slam win.

However, he was detained by immigration authorities when he arrived in Melbourne on Jan. 6.

He filed an appeal against the move and a court ordered his release on Jan. 10, but the Serbian athlete was detained again on Saturday, after Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke used discretionary powers to cancel his visa.

Vucic accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of “playing politics” ahead of the country’s upcoming federal election.

He also slammed Australian prosecutors for “lying” in Djokovic’s court hearings, particularly about Serbia’s COVID-19 vaccination numbers.

“You have seen in the most meaningless court process how much the prosecutor is lying. They simply lied. They say that less than 50% of Serbia’s citizens are vaccinated, when the official figure is 58%, which is more than many European Union countries,” he said.

Vucic added that Djokovic “can return to his country with his head held high.”

Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabic echoed the president’s sentiments as she denounced Australia’s “scandalous” decision to deport Djokovic.

“I find it unbelievable that we have two completely contradictory court decisions within the span of just a few days,” Brnabic said, adding that Djokovic “had endured both physical and psychological harm” during the saga.

“I am disappointed ... I think it demonstrated how the rule of law is functioning, or better to say not functioning, in some other countries. In any case, I can hardly wait to see Novak Djokovic in our own country, in Serbia.”

The Federal Court with a three-judge panel ruled unanimously against Djokovic on Sunday, after hearing his case, according to Australian ABC News.

Djokovic was detained Saturday after Australian officials canceled his visa for a second time.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke on Friday said: "Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so."

On Jan. 4, Djokovic said he had been granted a medical exemption from being vaccinated for the coronavirus, but after his arrival, the Australian Border Force canceled his visa for failing to meet COVID-19 entry requirements.

After he was sent to an immigration detention hotel in Melbourne, a federal court ordered his release.

Australia mandates all players be fully vaccinated for the coronavirus to compete in the year's first major tennis tournament.

Djokovic was included Thursday in the official draw for the tournament.

The hearing, where the objection to an earlier ruling was discussed, started at 9.30 a.m. local time.

Djokovic, 34, is following the hearing via video conference.

A small number of fans, mostly Australians of Serbian origin living in Australia, showed up to support Djokovic in front of the courthouse.

“Given the significant public interest in this matter, the Court has adopted a publicly available Online File,” the court said on its website.

Djokovic was detained Saturday after Australian officials canceled his visa for a second time.

"Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so," Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said Friday.

The world’s top-ranked player was guaranteed by a court's decision that he would not be deported until his case is concluded.

If the court overturns Hawke's visa decision, Djokovic will compete in the Australian Open that begins Monday.

Djokovic said Jan. 4 that he had been granted a medical exemption from being vaccinated for the coronavirus but after his arrival, the Australian Border Force canceled his visa for failing to meet COVID-19 entry requirements.

After he was sent to an immigration detention hotel in Melbourne, a federal court ordered his release.

Australia mandates all players be fully vaccinated for the coronavirus to compete in the year's first major tennis tournament.

Djokovic was included Thursday in the official draw for the tournament.

The Serbian tennis legend, 34, said he attended a basketball game in the capital Belgrade on Dec. 14 and later learned that there were several people who had tested positive for COVID-19 at the event.

He added that after he took a rapid antigen test on Dec. 16 which was negative, and also took an official approved PCR test just to be cautious.

Djokovic said he took another rapid antigen test next day which was also negative and then attended a tennis event in Belgrade.

He added that he was asymptomatic, and felt fine, but afterwards got a positive result from the PCR test.

The world’s no. 1 men’s player admitted a misjudgment in failing to cancel an interview and photoshoot with a French newspaper on Dec. 18 despite being tested positive.

Djokovic added that he maintained social distance through the interview and kept his mask on except for the photoshoot.

- Travel Down Under

The 20-time Grand Slam winner also claimed that there was a “human error” in his travel declaration for Australia as his agent ticked the incorrect box.

He said that out of respect, he didn't want to comment on the Australian government and their procedures.

Djokovic added that it is always an honor to compete in the Australian Open, a title he which he bagged nine times in his career.

On Jan. 4, Djokovic said he had been granted a medical exemption from being vaccinated for COVID-19, but after his arrival, the Australian Border Force canceled his visa.

After he was sent to an immigration detention hotel in Melbourne, a federal court ordered his release.

Australia mandates all players to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to compete in this year's first major tennis tournament.

Djokovic has refused to say whether he is vaccinated for the coronavirus.

Peng, who has won more than 20 doubles and two singles events, was seen standing near a court waving and signing oversized commemorative tennis balls for children, as the photos posted by the China Open from the same event on its Weibo account showed on Sunday.

The 35-year-old athlete has not been seen in public since she accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault on social media on Nov. 2. The post was quickly deleted, and the Chinese tennis star disappeared from the public.

Zhang, 75, served as one of the seven members of the most powerful body of the Chinese Communist Party. He retired in 2018.

The alleged incident dates back to three years ago.

"It would be important to have proof of her whereabouts and well-being," spokeswoman Liz Throssell of the UN Human Rights Office said on the missing athlete Peng Shuai at a briefing in Geneva.

"We are calling for an investigation with full transparency into her allegation of sexual assault," added Throssell.

Chinese state broadcaster CGTN published an e-mail on Wednesday purported to have been penned by Peng, saying she was "fine" and "resting at home." The letter also said that the previous allegation of sexual assault was "not true."

However, Steve Simon, President, and CEO of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) responded in a statement saying that the letter "raises my concerns about her whereabouts or whether she has been kept safe."

Peng, who won the 2013 Wimbledon and 2014 French Open titles in doubles, rose to 14th place in the singles classification and reached the semi-finals of the 2014 US Open.

Her social media post on Nov. 2 accusing former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault three years ago was quickly deleted and the Chinese tennis star, who has won more than 20 doubles and two singles events, has since disappeared from public view.

Zhang, 75, served as one of the seven members of the most powerful body of the Chinese Communist Party. He retired in 2018.

Fellow Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka spoke out on Twitter on Tuesday: "Censorship is never OK at any cost; I hope Peng Shuai and her family are safe and OK. I'm in shock of the current situation, and I'm sending love and light her way."

Top men's player Novak Djokovic also expressed "shock" over Peng's absence from public view.

The German player won the final with 6-3 and 6-1 against Khachanov.

The world no. 5 won his first-ever Olympic medal with this victory.

Zverev, 24, previously eliminated world no.1 Novak Djokovic with 1-6, 6-3 and 6-1 and ending his "Golden Slam" dreams in the semifinals on July 30.

Zverev does not have any Grand Slam trophy yet but reached his only Grand Slam final and lost the match to Austria's Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open.

The 24-year-old German came from a set down to shock the top-ranked Serb 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 at Tokyo’s Ariake Tennis Park.

Djokovic, ranked number one in the world and a 20-time Grand Slam champion, was vying to be the first man to win all four major titles and an Olympic gold medal in the same year.

The Serb came into the Olympics having won the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon this year, and remains a favorite for the US Open, which kicks off on Aug. 30.

American tennis star Steffi Graf became the only player to achieve a Golden Slam in 1988.

Zverev’s challenger for the Olympic gold will be Karen Khachanov of the Russian Olympic Committee, who beat Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-3 on Friday to book his final berth.

Djokovic, 34, will face off with Carreno for the bronze medal.

The Ministry of Public Health said this much-needed aid would help support the country’s fragile health system in combating the surging number of cases in public sector hospitals.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Health Minister Wazhma Salimi thanked the WHO and vowed to fairly distribute the devices in some of the vulnerable provinces grappling with COVID-19 infections and deaths.

Meanwhile, Wajmeh Salemi, deputy minister of finance and administration at the Ministry of Public Health, while appreciating the assistance and cooperation of the WHO with Afghanistan, promised that these devices would be distributed fairly to the health centers that need them.

According to the WHO, the shipment -- worth US$800,000 -- arrived from the organization’s logistics hub in Dubai and was handed over to the Ministry of Public Health for distribution among COVID-19 hospitals across the country.

“The WHO is sparing no effort to respond to the pandemic on all fronts. One of the most effective and basic ways to treat COVID-19 patients is through providing oxygen. We are working closely with the Ministry of Public Health to put in place a distribution plan that maximizes the use and benefit of the concentrators,” said Dr. Dapeng Luo, WHO representative in Afghanistan.

It noted that the Delta variant of the virus, which is associated with increased transmission of COVID-19, has been detected in Afghanistan and was accompanied by a surge of cases while the escalating conflict continues to overwhelm the health system further with complex trauma cases.

The WHO also noted that as COVID-19 continued to ravage health systems across the globe, Afghanistan has been hit hardest by the pandemic, which added yet another layer of complexity to an already fragile health system.

Schools and other education institutions reopened in Afghanistan on Sunday after months of closure due to surging coronavirus infections and deaths.

Grappling with shortages of vaccines and oxygen, in February, Afghanistan began the rollout of an Indian-made COVID-19 vaccine following the WHO’s emergency use approval.

Afghanistan on Monday recorded 35 more deaths and 594 new infections to take the total death toll from the pandemic to 6,515 and total infections to 145,008.

According to UN estimates, vaccination rates remain extremely low in Afghanistan, with less than 4% of the population vaccinated, and the virus continues to deeply affect the lives of the most vulnerable children and families across the country as they face the compounded impact of the pandemic, conflict and drought.

Federer defeated Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 in London.

Canadian player Felix Auger-Aliassime booked a place in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal after beating Alexander Zverev with sets of 6-4, 7-6, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4.

Also, a men’s singles match between Russia’s Daniil Medvedev and Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz was postponed due to heavy rain.

In the women's singles competition, Ajla Tomljanovic has reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal after beating her opponent Emma Raducanu, who was forced to withdraw during the second set due to an injury.

The 2018 champ Angelique Kerber, Karolina Muchova and Viktorija Golubic also qualified for the quarterfinals.

Federer defeated Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 in London.

Canadian player Felix Auger-Aliassime booked a place in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal after beating Alexander Zverev with sets of 6-4, 7-6, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4.

Also, a men’s singles match between Russia’s Daniil Medvedev and Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz was postponed due to heavy rain.

In the women's singles competition, Ajla Tomljanovic has reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal after beating her opponent Emma Raducanu, who was forced to withdraw during the second set due to an injury.

The 2018 champ Angelique Kerber, Karolina Muchova and Viktorija Golubic also qualified for the quarterfinals.

World no. 33 Krejcikova won 7-6, 6-3 against 24th seeded Gauff to advance to the Grand Slam semis for the first time in her career.

Krejcikova, who won the doubles championship in 2018 French Open, will face the winner of the Iga Swiatek-Maria Sakkari game in semifinals.

French Open, also known as Roland Garros, is a major tennis tournament held in Paris in May every year.

The tournament's women's singles final will be held on June 12.

The world No. 1 tennis star overcame a two-set deficit with 6-1 and 6-0 sets after 19-year-old Lorenzo Musetti won the first two sets, both with scores of 7-6.

In the fifth set, Musetti bowed out due to injury while the Serbian star moved to the quarterfinals for a record 12th successive year.

He will take on No. 9 seed Matteo Berrettini of Italy.

In another Monday game, Diego Schwartzman from Argentina beat Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany 7-6, 6-4, and 7-5 to qualify for the last-8.

Separately, World No. 3 Rafael Nadal from Spain also reached the quarterfinals by sealing a win over Jannik Sinner from Italy with 7-5, 6-3 and 6-0 sets in the fourth round.

Nadal will face Schwartzman to qualify for the semifinals.

"Hey everyone, this isn't a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris," Osaka said on Twitter.

"I never wanted to be a distraction. I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly, I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly," she added

Osaka also revealed that she had suffered bouts of depression since clinching her first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2018, adding she has had a really hard time coping with that.

"Anyone that knows me knows that I'm introverted, and anyone that's seen me at tournaments will notice that I'm often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety."

The 23-year-old went to on say that she gets “huge waves of anxiety” before speaking to the media.

"Though the tennis press has always been kind to me (and I wanna apologize especially to all the cool journalists who I may have hurt), I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world's media. I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can," she added.

The Japanese star has two Australian Opens (2019 and 2021) and two US Open titles (2018 and 2020) to her name.

Top-seeded Djokovic beat his Russian opponent Medvedev (4) in 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 sets in the final in Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena, which lasted for one hour and 53 minutes.

"@DjokerNole does it again," the Australian Open said on Twitter.

Before this year, Djokovic, 33, had won the Australian title in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2020.

This was his 18th Grand Slam title in total, drawing closer to the records of Spain's Rafael Nadal and Swiss Roger Federer, who each claimed 20 Grand Slam titles in their careers.

Djokovic bagged the championship trophy and a monetary prize of 2.75 million Australian dollars ($2.16 million).

Runner-up Medvedev will take home a silver plate and 1.5 million Australian dollars.

World No. 3 Osaka beat Brady 6-4, 6-3 at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne to claim the fourth Grand Slam title of her career.

The 23-year-old now has two Australian Open – 2019 and 2021 – and two US Open titles – 2018 and 2020 – to her name.

Brady, 25, who was playing her first Grand Slam final, was gracious in defeat, congratulating Osaka and terming her “an inspiration.”

“[...] Another Grand Slam title, she's such an inspiration to us all and what she is doing for the game is amazing... I hope young girls at home are watching and inspired by what she’s doing,” she said.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a limited number of spectators were in attendance for the final, and the champion made it a point to make them feel special.

"Thank you for coming and watching. To have this energy really means a lot. Thank you so much. Thank you for opening your hearts and arms towards us," said Osaka.

"I feel like playing a Grand Slam right now is a privilege, and thank you for this opportunity."

The Japanese star will go home with the 2021 Australian Open trophy and 2.75 million Australian dollars (over $2.1 million) in prize money, while Brady pocketed 1.5 million Australian dollars (over $1.1 million) and got the first silver shield of her career.

On Sunday, Nadal beat his Serbian rival -- world no. 1 -- Novak Djokovic with the sets of 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in Paris to be crowned this year's French Open champion in the singles.

Djokovic, 33, had last become the 2016 French Open winner.

The 34-year-old Nadal claimed 13 French Open titles, winning the major trophy on the red clay in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

With the recent triumph in Paris, Nadal equaled Swiss legend Roger Federer's record of 20 Grand Slam titles.

Federer, 39, was the 2009 champion, his only French Open title, but won 20 Grand Slams in total.

In addition to his 13 wins in France, Nadal has one Australian Open, two Wimbledon and four US Open titles under his belt to reach Federer.

Federer has earned six Australian Open championships, as well as one French Open, eight Wimbledon and five US Open.

The Swiss national last won the 2018 Australian Open.

Meanwhile, Federer was absent from the 2020 French Open.

The tennis veteran previously said in June that he would miss the remainder of the year after suffering a setback during his initial rehabilitation from surgery on his right knee last February.

Federer had added that he looks forward to returning to the courts at the beginning of the 2021 season.

Nadal among 20 Grand Slam title holders

The Spanish star went down in tennis history as he became the fifth player worldwide to have at least 20 titles in the four majors (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open).

The all-time record holder had previously been retired Australian tennis player Margaret Court.

She won 24 championships in the Grand Slam to become the most successful player.

Court retired in 1977.

US legend Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slams so far. The 39-year-old still plays the game.

Steffi Graf -- a retired German player -- claimed 22 Grand Slam victories in her career.

Federer and Nadal were both 20-time Grand Slam winners.

Having made his Grand Slam debut in 2005, Djokovic has won 17 titles in the four majors so far.

But, the Serbian star needs to get three more Grand Slam wins to join the likes of Nadal and the others.

Way to French Open victory

Nadal entered this year's French Open in the first round, where he beat his unseeded Belarusian opponent Egor Gerasimov (6-4, 6-4, 6-2).

In the second round, Nadal eliminated another unseeded player, Mackenzie McDonald from the US, with the sets 6-1, 6-0, 6-3.

Nadal qualified for the fourth round after beating Italy's Stefano Travaglia by 6-1, 6-4, 6-0 in the third phase of the knockout stage.

The Spanish star dominated the fourth round game against US player Sebastian Korda (6-1, 6-1, 6-2) to bag the ticket for the quarterfinals.

Nadal grasped a 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-1 win over Jannik Sinner of Italy to advance to the semis.

Confident, Nadal also eliminated Argentine player Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-0) in the semifinals.

He eyed his 13th French Open title as he faced fellow tennis giant, Djokovic, in the final at the Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The Spaniard became the 2020 champion in Paris, over the 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 win in Sunday's final versus Djokovic that lasted two hours and 41 minutes.

Djokovic overcame visible physical discomfort to defeat Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinal.

He will now take on Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, who advanced to the semifinals with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 win over Russian Andrey Rublev.

In the women’s singles, fourth seed Sofia Kenin beat Danielle Collins 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 to claim her maiden French Open semifinal spot.

She will face the Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova, who beat German Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets on Wednesday.

The 39-year-old experienced player was supposed to take on Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria in her second round match before she ended her latest bid for a 24th Grand Slam title.

"I really wanted to give an effort here. Struggling to walk, so that's a tell-tale sign that I should try to recover," the three-time Roland-Garros champion of US said.

"I think I need four-to-six weeks of sitting and doing nothing, at least two weeks of just sitting down."

Serbia’s Natalija Kostic beat Buyukakcay 6-3, 2-6 and 6-2 in women's singles.

The 2020 French Open's first round in women's and men's singles will start on Sept. 27 in Paris, France.

Buyukakcay, 30, was the first Turkish tennis player to compete at the Olympics at Rio 2016.

The top-ranked Serb was broken to love in the sixth game of the second set following which he threw his racket on the ground, drawing a warning from the chair umpire.

"Well, let me tell you it's not the first nor the last racket that I'll break in my career," Djokovic, 33, told reporters. "I have done it before, I'll probably do it again. I don't want to do it, but when it comes, it happens.

"That's how I guess I release sometimes my anger. And it's definitely not the best message out there, especially for the young tennis players looking at me.

"I don't encourage that, definitely. But, look, we're all people. We all do our best. There were times and periods when I don't do that, and there are periods when I do," he said.

The Serb was disqualified from the U.S. Open after inadvertently hitting a ball into a line judge's throat during his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta.

Djokovic, who apologised at the time and vowed to take away valuable lessons from the incident, reiterated that he was working on his "mental and emotional health" to try and help keep a lid on his emotions.

"It's always been part of my, I guess, training and recovery, as well, developing strong character and understanding myself on different levels, holistic approach to life," the 17-time Slam champion said.

"That's just me. Of course I'm not perfect. I'm doing my best."

Djokovic, who faces Norway's Casper Ruud in the semi-finals, will fancy his chances of sealing a record 36th Masters 1000 crown following nine-time champion Rafa Nadal's shock exit at the hands of Diego Schwartzman.

Osaka beat Azarenka from Belarus 1-6, 6-3 and 6-3 in New York to claim her third Grand Slam title.

The 22-year-old won the US Open in 2016 and Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2017.

The world number one was defaulted at 5-6 down in the first set of his match against Pablo Carreno Busta on Sunday after a ball he swiped in frustration hit a female official in the throat.

The 33-year-old Serbian posted an apology on Instagram, vowing to take away valuable lessons that would aid his "growth and evolution as a player and human being."

McEnroe, whose own behaviour frequently landed him in hot water with officials during his playing career, said Djokovic had buckled under the pressure.

"The pressure just got to him. I think a lot has been going on off the court," McEnroe, who was disqualified in the fourth round of the 1990 Australian Open after being handed three code violations, told ESPN.

"It's obviously affected him and whether he likes it or not, he's going to be the bad guy the rest of his career.

"If he embraces that role, I think he could recover. He's got a lot of things going for him, but this is a stain that he's not going to be able to erase."

After the premature end to his bid for an 18th Grand Slam, Djokovic left the grounds without attending a press conference and McEnroe, a four-times U.S. Open champion, said the Serb should have faced the music instead of apologising on social media.

"You got to man up. It made no sense to me. In the past I've seen him take responsibility when he's blown it. In this case it makes it even worse," he said.

"So what if he apologised on Twitter... that's not good enough."

Djokovic, 33, previously announced the pair contracted COVID-19 after returning to Belgrade from a regional charity tennis tournament in Zadar, Croatia.

The Adria Tour 2020, organized by Djokovic, was an exhibition series that began June 12 but was canceled June 21 because Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov tested positive for the virus.

Djokovic, through his Novak Djokovic Foundation, donated nearly $50,000 to a hospital in the Serbian town of Novi Pazar, where there had been a spate of COVID-19 cases.

He announced in late June that he was asymptomatic and that his wife had also tested positive for the virus.

Novi Pazar, a southwestern Bosniak city, became a coronavirus hotbed in Serbia after the government eased strict pandemic measures that had been in force in the country since mid-March, including a curfew.

Earlier, the Djokovic family donated over $1million for the purchase of ventilators and medical equipment to support hospitals and other healthcare institutions in their fight against the coronavirus in Serbia.

Currently ranked number 1 in men's single tennis, Djokovic, 33, won 17 Grand Slam singles titles during his career.

Serbia to date has reported 14,836 coronavirus cases and 281 deaths.

Croatia's Borna Coric, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria and Viktor Troicki have previously tested positive after playing in Djokovic's Adria Tour exhibition tournament in the Balkan region.

"The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested," the 33-year-old said in a statement, adding that he was not showing any symptoms. "My result is positive, just as Jelena's (wife), while the results of our children are negative.

"I am extremely sorry for each individual case of infection. I hope that it will not complicate anyone's health situation and that everyone will be fine. I will remain in self-isolation for the next 14 days, and repeat the test in five days."

The tournament witnessed packed stands during the opening leg in Belgrade, players hugging at the net, playing basketball, posing for pictures and attending press conferences together.

Djokovic organised nights out in Belgrade for the players and pictures and videos of him dancing with the other participants at his event were posted on social media.

With both Serbia and Croatia easing lockdown measures weeks before the event, players were not obliged to observe social distancing rules in either country.

Djokovic said the idea behind his tournament was noble and he wanted to raise funds for players in need.

"Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions," said Djokovic, who is also the head of the players council of the men's ATP Tour. "Our tournament meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region.

"The Tour has been designed to help both established and up and coming tennis players from South-Eastern Europe to gain access to some competitive tennis while the various tours are on hold due to the COVID-19 situation."

A following statement confirmed that the remainder of the Adria Tour had been cancelled, the two-day event on July 3 and 4 in Banja Luka, Bosnia and the planned exhibition match with Bosnian Damir Dzumhur in Sarajevo on July 5.

"We are extremely disappointed to have to cancel the events in Banja Luka and Sarajevo," said Novak's brother Djordje Djokovic, the director of the Adria Tour.

"We were looking forward to treating fans in these two cities to watching Novak Djokovic and other top players. Unfortunately, the recent events make everyone’s speedy recovery a top priority."

Interviewed on Sunday on France 2 television, Yannick Noah commented on the death of George Floyd in the US, an unarmed black man who died after being detained by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one of whom knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes leading to Floyd's asphyxiation and subsequent death.

The tennis star said he was troubled by the lack of other prominent white tennis athletes coming forth to speak out as well.

"Their silence bothers me but it goes further than that. It's an injustice which should make everyone aware. I am certain that in general police do a very good job but there are bad apples," Noah expressed over police brutality, the issue that sparked protests in numerous American cities and around the world.

Noah, 60, is the child of a Cameroonian father and a French mother. He is a former Grand Slam winner, having clinched the country's biggest match at Roland Garos, the French Open, in 1983.

"It's good that the young people take care of it, but what bothers me is that they are all half-breeds or blacks," he said.

Although the younger generation realizes that this is their future, a world with racism is a world they do not want to live in, added Noah.

"The rules that they told us that we would have to respect to be there, to play at all, they are extreme," Novak Djokovic told Serbian media outlet, Prva TV.

The 33-year-old Serb said he talked to "leaders of world tennis" and it is still uncertain if tennis would continue this season and if the US tournament would be held in August.

"We would not have access to Manhattan. We would have to sleep in hotels at the airport, to be tested twice or three times per week," Djokovic said.

The 2020 Australian Open winner added that during the tournament a player needs access to a coach, fitness trainer and a physiotherapist but only one is allowed as per coronavirus protocols.

"Also, we could bring one person to the club which is really impossible,” said the 17-time Grand Slam champion.

One of four majors, this year's US Open was scheduled to begin Aug. 24 in New York City, one of the worst-hit US cities.

Rafael Nadal, 34, from Spain said Thursday that he does not want to be in New York for the tournament.

"If you asked me if I want to travel to New York today to play a tennis tournament, I will say no - I will not," said Nadal.

The 19-time Grand Slam winner and second-ranked player in the world said tournaments should start once every player can travel freely and safely.

Nadal was the 2019 US Open champion.

No majors until August

Two Grand Slams have been delayed or canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The next major tournament on the schedule is the US Open.

The French Open was postponed in March with organizers announcing new dates for the tournament will be Sept. 20 to Oct. 4.

Organizers of Wimbledon canceled that event, setting news dates from June 28 to July 11, 2021.

Floyd died after a white policeman pinned his neck under a knee for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25.

Men's world No. 1 Djokovic posted black screenshots on his Twitter and Instagram pages with the message "Black Lives Matter", and was joined by Federer and Nadal, the other members of the "Big Three" of men's tennis.

Grand Slam winners Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova and Stan Wawrinka were among other players who signalled their support for the campaign.

African-American teenage phenomenon Coco Gauff and Japan's Naomi Osaka have also expressed their anger over Floyd's death.

Replying to Federer's Instagram post, the 16-year-old Gauff commented: "Click the link in my bio to get resources on HOW YOU CAN HELP! THANK YOU."

Osaka, whose father is Haitian and mother is Japanese, said people should be doing more than posting "the black square".

"I'm torn between roasting people for only posting the black square this entire week ... or accepting that they could've posted nothing at all so I should deal with this bare minimum bread crumb they have given," she posted on Twitter.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) posted a black screen shot as well as a statement against racism on its social media handles.

The USTA, organisers of the U.S. Open Grand Slam, said it was "extremely disappointed, angry, and heartbroken" at the hardships faced by communities of colour in the United States.

"The African-American community is an integral part of our tennis family and the USTA stands unwaveringly against racism and injustice of any kind," it added.

Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes for 2020 was published on Friday as Federer became the first tennis player to top the list since 1990.

Football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi follow the 38-year-old tennis player with $105 million and $104 million earnings, respectively.

Forbes obtained the figures with the earnings include all money, salaries and bonuses gained between June 1, 2019, and June 1, 2020.

Top ten in the Forbes' world's 100 highest-paid athletes list are as follows:

1. Roger Federer $106.3 million

2. Cristiano Ronaldo $105 million

3. Lionel Messi $104 million

4. Neymar $95.5 million

5. LeBron James $88.2 million

6. Stephen Curry $74.4 million

7. Kevin Durant $63.9 million

8. Tiger Woods $62.3 million

9. Kirk Cousins $60.5 million

10. Carson Wentz $59.1 million

BOXING

* A European qualifying event in London for the Olympics will be closed to spectators from March 16.

The 20-times Grand Slam champion had been struggling with injury at the Australian Open, where he made a semi-final exit to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, and has not played since.

Federer, 38, said he would also miss ATP tournaments in Dubai, Indian Wells, Bogota and Miami.

"My right knee has been bothering me for a little while. I hoped it would go away, but after an examination and discussion with my team, I decided to have arthroscopic surgery in Switzerland yesterday," Federer said in a statement on Twitter.

"After the procedure, the doctors confirmed that it was the right thing to have done and are very confident of a full recovery."

The Swiss skipped the entire claycourt season in 2017 and 2018 and last year played only two tournaments on the surface before arriving in Paris for the French Open.

His agent told Reuters last week that Federer was planning on playing only at Roland Garros while skipping the Madrid and Rome Masters.

The French Open begins on May 24.

Thiem reserved his place for the semifinals for the first time, winning the four-hour match against Nadal with the sets of 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 at Rod Laver Arena.

The 19-time grand slam singles champion, Nadal became the Australian Open champion in 2009, his only title in the tournament.

The 33-year-old player was unable to end his 11-year quest in Melbourne.

Since his only Australian Open triumph, Nadal played 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019 finals in Australia.

"I can't wait to be back on Friday," Thiem, 26, said after his victory over Nadal.

Thiem will face his German opponent Alexander Zverev in this year's semifinals.

Meanwhile, the 2020 semifinals in men's will see a worth-watching battle between two giants, Switzerland's Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

Turkish Paralympic player Büşra Ün won women's single tennis, at the Madainitennis Wheelchair Tennis Open on Sunday.

Büşra Ün defeated Ukraninian Olena Shyngaryova, Czech Ladislava Porizkova and Austrian Vanessa Jenewein 2-0.

The tournament was held in Austria’s St. Poelten, the capital and largest city of the Lower Austria province, located in northeast Austria.

The Spanish athlete outlasted Daniil Medvedev in five sets in four hours and 51 minutes of the game, 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4.

Nadal gained his fourth U.S. Open title and 19th major singles title in the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

The 23-year-old Medvedev played the grand slam final for the first time in his career.

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Spanish player Rafael Nadal late Wednesday faced Diego Schwartzman, 20th-seeded, from Argentina in men's singles in New York.

Three-time U.S. Open winner Nadal defeated his opponent in 6-4, 7-5 and 6-2 sets.

Separately Italia's Matteo Berrettini qualified for the semifinals, winning against French 13th-seeded Gael Monfils, 3-2 in 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6 and 7-6 sets.

Berrettini, seeded No. 24, will play against Rafael Nadal in the semifinals.

In the women's singles, Canadian 15th-seeded Bianca Andreescu took a 3-6, 6-2 and 6-3 victory over Elise Mertens from Belgium to win a ticket to the semifinals.

Andreescu, 19, will face Swiss Belinda Bencic in the U.S. Open semifinals.

The 21-year-old Rublev, who broke the third seed in his first two service games, shed tears of joy after pulling off the biggest win of his career in 62 minutes.

"It is such an amazing feeling when you're playing a legend like Roger and all these people supporting him until the end,” he told ESPN.

“One day I hope I'm going to feel the same.

“Today I was just trying to do my best and was thinking in my head that I need to play every point until the end no matter what.”

It was Federer's fastest defeat since losing to Franco Squillari in 54 minutes in Sydney in 2003.

“He was super clean,” Federer, seven-times champion in Cincinnati, said of Rublev.

“Defence, offence, serving well. Didn't give me anything. He was everywhere. So it was tough for me, but excellent match by him. I was impressed.”

Rublev’s win sets up an all-Russian quarter-final with ninth seed Daniil Medvedev, who beat German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-2 6-1.

World number one Novak Djokovic beat Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3 6-4, saving four break points in the second set and earning his own break in the third game.

“I'm very pleased with the performance today because I played against a very great, quality player tonight,” Djokovic said. “It’s a straight-sets win but probably the score doesn't indicate how tough it was on the court.”

Next up for Djokovic is Frenchman Lucas Pouille, who beat eighth seed Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2.

In other matches, Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut took down Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1 6-2 and will next face France’s Richard Gasquet, who beat Diego Schwartzman 7-6(6) 6-3.

Belgium’s David Goffin and Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka also advanced to set up a quarter-final match-up.

Security representatives of the governing bodies will speak in a telephone call that will also be attended by India's Davis Cup captain Mahesh Bhupathi, after which AITA will decide whether the Indian team travels to Islamabad, Chatterjee added.

The Indian side wants safety guarantees before travelling for the Sept. 14-15 tie, with tensions high between the neighbours after New Delhi removed "special status" from its portion of the contested region of Kashmir.

AITA wrote to the ITF on Wednesday to ask if the tie could be moved to a neutral venue or postponed after Pakistan last week expelled India's ambassador and suspended bilateral trade and public transport links with its neighbour.

India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir since 1947 and came close to a third in February after an attack on Indian police by a Pakistan-based militant group resulted in air strikes by both countries.

Chatterjee told Reuters on Thursday that the ITF had shared security arrangements for the Indian team in Islamabad but had "not said anything" about India's request to shift the tie out of Pakistan or postpone it.

"We have been given time on Aug. 19 for a telephonic conversation between the security advisors of the ITF and AITA," he added. "We will take a decision after Monday's call.

"We will try and explain to them the prevailing sentiment and tension among the people of the two countries. The security will be entirely provided by the Pakistan government which has already downgraded diplomatic relations with India.

"The ITF needs to understand that there could be a possibility of the security cover being withdrawn by the government due to public sentiment. In that scenario we will be just sitting ducks there. How can we take such risks?"

India's sports minister Kiren Rijiju has said the government will not prevent the Indian team from playing the Davis Cup tie in Pakistan because it is not a bilateral series and is organised by a world governing body.

Pakistan said on Wednesday it would expel India's ambassador and suspend bilateral trade with its arch-rival after New Delhi stripped its portion of the contested Kashmir region of special status.

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) named a six-member squad under captain Mahesh Bhupathi on Monday for the Sept. 14-15 tie in Islamabad but subsequent developments have put a question mark on the fate of the contest.

"As of now, there's no change to our plans but we'll wait for a few days and see if the situation merits a review," AITA secretary general Hironmoy Chatterjee said by telephone.

"A lot has changed over the last few days and we may ask ITF to review the situation and take a call. It's not for us to take a call.

"If needed, we'll ask ITF to see if they, keeping players' safety I mind, can shift the tie to a neutral venue where both teams feel safe and comfortable."

Chatterjee dismissed reports that any Indian player has security apprehensions about playing in Islamabad.

"Nothing of that sort, they are fine. We've named our squad only after speaking to them."

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have twice waged war over Kashmir and in February engaged in an aerial clash.

India's cricket team has not toured Pakistan since 2007 and bilateral cricketing ties between them have remained suspended since 2008.

Forbes business magazine on Wednesday announced the highest-paid female athletes for June 2018 - June 2019 period.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion topped the annual list of the highest-paid female athletes with estimated total earnings of $29.2 million.

After winning the US and Australian Opens, Japan's Naomi Osaka took the second place with $24.3 million in the list behind Williams while German Angelique Kerber is at the third place with $11.8 million.

The top 10 on Forbes’ list of best-paid female athletes are tennis players.

The list follows:

1. Serena Williams Tennis $29.2 million

2. Naomi Osaka Tennis $24.3 million

3. Angelique Kerber Tennis $11.8 million

4. Simona Halep Tennis $10.2 million

5. Sloane Stephens Tennis $9.6 million

6. Caroline Wozniacki Tennis $7.5 million

7. Maria Sharapova Tennis $7 million

8. Karolina Pliskova Tennis $6.3 million

9. Elina Svitolina Tennis $6.1 million

10. Venus Williams Tennis $5.9 million

10. Garbine Muguruza Tennis $5.9 million

The nuclear-armed neighbours have gone to war three times since independence in the mid-20th century and another conflict nearly erupted earlier this year, giving an even spicier-than-usual geopolitical backdrop to sporting rivalries.

India's cricket team has not toured Pakistan since 2007 and bilateral cricketing ties between them have remained suspended since 2008.

Relations further soured in February this year after a suicide car bombing killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police in Indian-controlled Kashmir putting question marks on the Asia/Oceania Group 1 tie, which will be held on Sept. 14-15 in Islamabad.

"It's not a bilateral series, it's the World Cup of tennis. So no government clearance was required," AITA Secretary General Hironmoy Chatterjee told Reuters.

"We needed an invitation from the Pakistan Tennis Federation for the visa process which we have received. We are applying for the visas soon as it's a lengthy process."

An Indian tennis team last toured Pakistan in 1964 for Davis Cup when they defeated the hosts 4-0 while Pakistan lost 3-2 in their last visit in 2006 in Mumbai.

Until a few years back Pakistan was forced to host its home Davis Cup ties at neutral venues as teams refused to travel due to security concerns.

Chatterjee said the International Tennis Federation has put in place stringent security requirements to host Davis Cup ties and India's players are looking forward to winning the tie and progress to the World Group qualifier.

"The security arrangements are ensured by the ITF. Their officials will be present during the tie," Chatterjee added.

"We have not made any special security demands."