Sports
Djokovic narrows focus in pursuit of 25th Grand Slam | The Express Tribune
NEW YORK,:
Former tennis world number one Novak Djokovic says the expansion of most ATP Masters 1000 events to 12 days makes them “just way too long for me” as he focuses on his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title.
“To be quite frank with you, I don’t enjoy the two-week Masters events anymore,” Djokovic said Friday as he spoke to reporters before the Sunday start of the US Open — the last Grand Slam of 2025.
“It’s just way too long for me. My focus is mostly on the Slams, and I have said that before.”
“But I also like other tournaments. I’d like to play more of the other tournaments, but I just, we have currently informally, unofficially, 12 Grand Slams a year when you think about it.”
“Grand Slam is two weeks and the other Masters events are almost two weeks, as well.”
At 38, the former world number one says his priorities have changed in the latter stages of his career.
“I’m not chasing the rankings or building up my points or defending, et cetera,” Djokovic said. “I just don’t think about it anymore.”
“For me, it’s really about where do I find motivation and joy? Where will I be inspired to play the best tennis? And where do I care to be, really, and play?”
With family now at the forefront of his life, Djokovic said, he is less willing to miss out on major personal milestones.
He noted that his daughter’s birthday falls on September 2, when he could find himself playing in the US Open quarter-finals.
“But those are types of things that I really don’t want to be missing anymore,” he said.
Djokovic, long an advocate for player input in matters such as scheduling and player compensation, said he does not see how the Masters 1000s — which shifted this year from one-week to 12-days — could go back to the previous format.
Canada and Cincinnati in the run-up to the US Open became 12-day events this year.
“In the end of the day, when the players needed to be active and when there was a time of negotiations and decision-making, players weren’t participating enough,” he said.
Djokovic himself has not played since a comprehensive semi-final loss to currently world number one Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon in July.
He acknowledged that he is coming in “cold” in terms of match play, but said he had been training hard as he eyes a return to the later stages of the US Open.
A four-time winner in Flushing Meadows, Djokovic suffered his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2017 when he lost to Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in the third round of last year’s tournament.
But this week Djokovic has taken some time to explore New York as well, notably throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a New York Yankees baseball game.
“It was a great experience,” said Djokovic, adding that he met Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
He also thought he acquitted himself well with his pitch.
“I didn’t throw that accurate, but it still wasn’t as embarrassing I think as some of the other guys I saw in the past.”
World number one Aryna Sabalenka is through to the Indian Wells final for a third time after beating Czech Linda Noskova in the semi-finals. Photo: AFP
INDIAN WELLS:
Aryna Sabalenka roared past Linda Noskova on Friday to book an Indian Wells title showdown with Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina.
Sabalenka beat 14th-ranked Czech Noskova 6-3, 6-4 and Rybakina downed Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-4 to set up a mouth-watering rematch of their Melbourne final.
Rybakina also beat Sabalenka in the 2023 championship match in Indian Wells — where the Belarusian star has come up empty in two prior trips to the final.
“I want that match,” said Sabalenka, who has been in imperious form in the California desert this year.
She fired 37 winners with 11 aces, applying relentless pressure from the baseline in a commanding win over Noskova.
She broke the big-serving Czech twice as she powered to a 5-1 lead in the opening set.
There was a hiccup as she tried to serve out the set, and Sabalenka, who had lost just one point in her first three service games, was broken.
Noskova kept the set alive with a battling hold in a marathon eighth game, fending off a set point with a service winner and sealing the game with an ace.
Serving for the set again, Sabalenka opened with a double fault and went down 0-30, but a pair of big serves and a backhand winner brought her to set point, and she claimed it with an ace.
Sabalenka broke Noskova to open the second and was on her way. Noskova fended off a second break, but she was unable to convert a break opportunity in the eighth game as Sabalenka brought it home, capping the victory with a forehand winner on her third match point.
“I think I really played great tennis,” Sabalenka said. “I was serving well. I was playing well. I like the way I put her under pressure on her serve.”
Rybakina, who is set to rise one spot to number two in the world on Monday, had too much firepower for ninth-ranked Svitolina, who was coming off a three-set win over two-time champion Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals.
Rybakina recouped an early break in a tight first set and seized control with a break for 6-5, her steady pressure on Svitolina’s serve provoking too many mistakes from the Ukrainian.
Top-10 streak
Rybakina won seven straight games from 4-5 down in the first, breaking Svitolina twice on the way to a 4-0 lead in the second set.
The experienced Svitolina made her keep grinding, saving a match point on her own serve then saving another on the way to a break for 5-3 as she won three straight games.
But Rybakina made no mistake as she served for the match a second time, nabbing her 12th straight victory over top-10 opponents.
“Not, maybe, my best performance, but I’m super happy to win this match and be in the final again,” Rybakina said.
Although she trails Sabalenka 8-7 in their career head-to-head, she has won their last two meetings, in the title match of last year’s WTA Finals and at the Australian Open — where she claimed her second Grand Slam crown.
Despite those recent successes Rybakina was expecting a battle on Sunday.
“We played so many times, and I think it all depends on close moments, which we usually have — whoever steps in, plays more aggressive, more solid,” Rybakina said. “It’s going to be a difficult match.
“We’re both going to try to serve well, that’s for sure, put pressure… we will see what’s going to happen.”
Sports
USA beats Canada in World Baseball Classic to maintain American sports dominance over northern neighbor
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For the third time in less than a month, Americans have crushed Canadian sports dreams on the world stage.
After dramatic victories over Canada in both the men’s and women’s Olympic hockey gold medal games, Team USA defeated Canada in the 2026 World Baseball Classic quarterfinals, 5-3.
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Denzel Clarke #1 of Team Canada reacts after striking out during the fifth inning against Team United States at Daikin Park on March 13, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
Behind a strong start from US pitcher Logan Webb and timely hitting throughout the lineup, the Americans struck early and then held on as Canada mounted a sixth-inning comeback attempt at Daikin Park.
The U.S. jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the sixth inning, with RBIs by Kyle Schwarber, Alex Bregman, Brice Turange and Pete Crow-Armstrong. But Canada got right back in the game in the bottom of the sixth, with an RBI single by Tyler Black and two-run homer by Bo Naylor.
The Canadians had a sure chance to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh, with two men on and no outs, but they failed to score after a popout and then two strikeouts.
Edouard Julien #15 of Team Canada slides to second base against Brice Turang #13 of Team United States during the fifth inning at Daikin Park on March 13, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Reliver Mason Miller closed the game out for the U.S. in the ninth inning.
The U.S. now advances to the semifinal round against the Dominican Republic and Canada will have to bask in another bitter loss to the U.S. in a major international tournament, amid ongoing geopolitical tensions between the countries.
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Team USA manager Mark DeRosa revealed that USA hockey hero Jack Hughes, who scored the winning goal in the gold medal game against Canada at the Olympics, reached out to the American baseball players before Friday’s game.
Jack Hughes celebrates with the American flag after scoring Team USA’s second goal in overtime to win gold on Feb. 22, 2026. (REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo)
“Jack Hughes sent the boys a nice little fire-up message that I put out on their group chat,” DeRosa said during a Thursday press conference ahead of the game.
“I know there are some talks about some hockey jerseys being sent in tomorrow for the guys to wear during BP or out and about in the clubhouse.”
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