Tennis civil war erupts with details of initial peace deal revealed for first time

The civil war engulfing tennis has been laid bare on the opening day of the first grand slam event this year, with details of Tennis Australia’s peace deal with the Professional Tennis Players’ Association published for the first time.The PTPA launched an anti-trust lawsuit against the four grand slam tournaments, the ATP Tour, WTA Tour, and the International Tennis Federation last year, accusing them of collaborating to reduce prize money, impose a restrictive ranking system and repress player promotional opportunities, but Tennis Australia was dropped from the claim last month after reaching a settlement agreement with the players’ union.In a filing appearing to be timed to cause maximum discomfort to the three remaining grand slam tournaments and the sport’s three governing bodies, the details of that settlement were published on Saturday in the New York district court.The court documents say Tennis Australia has agreed to cooperate with the PTPA against the other grand slam tournaments, including providing confidential financial information, in return for being removed from the claim and avoiding liability for potential damages that could reach tens of millions of pounds.“Tennis Australia will begin providing valuable discovery that [the plaintiffs] may or may not have been ultimately able to obtain from Tennis Australia, which damages class plaintiffs can use in litigating their claims well in advance of court-ordered discovery against ATP and WTA,” the PTPA’s lawyers claim in a court filing

Emma Raducanu recovers from slow start to ease through at Australian Open

Sixteen minutes into her opening match at Melbourne Park, Emma Raducanu was 1-3, 15-40 down and flailing badly. Across the net from a relatively unknown opponent playing lights‑out tennis on her grand slam debut, this could have been a moment where panic set in, errors flowed and life became even more difficult.However, Raducanu remained positive and rallied impressively, recovering quickly from her slow start before moving easily into the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-4, 6-1 win against Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand.Under tricky circumstances late at night against an impressive opponent, this was a strong start that should imbue Raducanu with confidence as she continues her attempts to get up to pace with the tour after a difficult off-season.“I feel very happy to have gotten through the match,” the 23-year-old said

Sussex CCC placed in special measures over alleged financial mismanagement

Sussex have been placed in special measures by the England and Wales Cricket Board due to alleged financial mismanagement and breaches of the governing body’s sustainability regulations.The Guardian has learned that the county is in the process of signing up to an ECB business plan, which will include strict limits on their spending, with any significant outgoings such as player signings or registrations requiring approval from Lord’s. The ECB will also monitor Sussex’s financial returns, and observe board and committee meetings.ECB officials are understood to have visited Sussex last Thursday for discussions over the finer details of the business plan, with dialogue ongoing. The club could face further disciplinary action, including a significant fine and possible points deduction in this season’s County Championship, if they are also found to have breached the ECB’s county partnership agreement (CPA), which governs the allocation of central funding to the 18 first-class counties

The Joy of Six: stories of love in sport

A father helping a son across the line, Kevin Sinfield’s inspirational friendship with Rob Burrow and more – when devotion to others takes centre stageThe older I get, the more profoundly I appreciate that, when I’m writing about sport, I’m also writing about love. This makes perfect sense given these are mankind’s two greatest inventions and the stuff we can least do without, but there’s more to it than that: sport and love are both expressions of identity, creativity and devotion, pursued because they are right but also because it’s impossible not to.Love takes many forms, experienced by different people in different ways and by the same people differently on different days. But one of its strongest iterations is that of a parent for a child, a love that is implacable, indivisible and incomparable.None of which seemed remotely relevant at the 1992 Olympics, when Derek Redmond stood on the start line prior to his 400m semi-final

Britain’s Arthur Fery delivers Australian Open upset with win over 20th seed Flavio Cobolli

For a few fleeting moments inside the vast John Cain Arena, it seemed like Arthur Fery had missed his opportu­nity. The 23-year-old’s attempts to serve out an excellent opening set at 5-4 up against the 20th seed at the Australian Open, ­Flavio Cobolli, had ended painfully. He quickly found himself serving, down 6-5, against one of the top players in the world, with his back to the wall.These circumstances often do not favour the more inexperienced, lower-ranked players, but in one of the biggest matches of his career Fery created his own luck as he rose to the occasion and delivered the first great upset in Melbourne, dismantling Cobolli 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-1 to reach the second round for the first time.The victory marks Fery’s first win in a grand slam tournament ­outside Wimbledon

Easier start for Alex de Minaur as Matteo Berrettini withdraws from Australian Open

Alex de Minaur has received an early boost to his Australian Open chances after the withdrawal of his tough first-round opponent, former world No 6 Matteo Berrettini.Tens of thousands have filled Melbourne Park on a sunny Sunday marking the first day of the main draw, which has already seen Perth product Talia Gibson secure passage to the second round.Even before a ball had been hit, however, there was reason for Australian optimism. Berrettini announced he had suffered a recurrence of the abdomen problems which had plagued his 2025 season, forcing him to miss the French and US opens, and would not take the court against De Minaur.“Unfortunately I’ve felt discomfort in my obliques once again and I won’t be ready to perform at my best level for five sets,” the Italian posted on Instagram