Rafael Nadal targets a fifth US Open and 23rd Grand Slam title in New York from next week with his path to the title no longer blocked by Novak Djokovic, whose refusal to get vaccinated has ruled him out of a second major this year.

Roger Federer has not played competitive tennis in more than a year and, like his legion of fans, Rafa Nadal also cannot wait for the Swiss great to return to action next month.

Serena Williams may have planned retirement her way but the American must be prepared to accept the goodbyes as well as the losses and exit the stage with grace, tennis great Martina Navratilova has told Reuters.

Following are reactions to Serena Williams announcing on Tuesday that she plans to retire from the sport following the U.S. Open:

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka retired from her opening match on Tuesday at the WTA Toronto Masters with lower back pain, raising injury concerns with the US Open looming.

Serena Williams said on Tuesday she was "evolving away from tennis" and planned to retire from the sport she dominated with 23 Grand Slam titles following the U.S. Open tournament, which begins later this month.

Serena Williams stepped onto a hardcourt for the first time in a year and a half on Monday and fought through for a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain's Nuria Parrizas Diaz.

Daniil Medvedev said he tried to use the extra time away from the court to his advantage after Wimbledon banned Russian and Belarusian players from the grass court major in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Daria Kasatkina was rewarded for her victory in San Jose at the weekend with a return to the top 10 for the first time since 2019, when the WTA rankings were released on Monday.

World number one Daniil Medvedev, playing his first match in six weeks, beat Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday at the ATP hard court tournament in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Jannik Sinner defeated Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz for the second time in four weeks on Sunday to take the Spaniard's Umag clay-court title.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz survived a worrying ankle injury scare to beat Giulio Zeppieri and set-up an Umag final showdown against Jannik Sinner, the man who ended his Wimbledon hopes.

San Marino's Domenico Vicini is pushing 51, but that hasn't stopped him becoming the first man to compete in 100 Davis Cup ties and he has vowed to keep playing.

Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios has been handed a wildcard into next month's U.S. Open tune-up event in Cincinnati, Ohio, organisers of the Western & Southern Open said on Monday.

The emotions of lifting his maiden Tour-level trophy will be hard to forget for 20-year-old Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who overcame disrupted preparations and survived a rollercoaster ride at the ATP 500 event in Hamburg.

 Former world number one Naomi Osaka's coach Wim Fissette said on Wednesday that the pair had ended their partnership after working together since 2019.

Former tennis world number one Ashleigh Barty has dashed hopes she will make a return to professional sport, after speculation the Australian could switch to golf.

Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one, announced Friday she has given birth to a baby boy named Theodore.

Recently-crowned Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic arrived in Bosnia on Wednesday to inaugurate tennis courts at a 'pyramid park' that he regularly visits to recharge his batteries.

Novak Djokovic is already a sporting immortal but he will be desperately hoping he is finally becoming a "people's champion" after winning a seventh Wimbledon crown on Sunday.