Dylan Alcott has given us an insight into the locker room in his final grand slam, revealing a hilarious exchange with another star after his win. FOLLOW LIVE
Dylan Alcott and Gael Monfils are adored by tennis fans, but they are the first to admit they aren’t getting any younger.
That was abundantly clear in the conversation between the two ageing tennis stars after their respective wins on Saturday.
Alcott, in his final grand slam, took us into the locker room following his win over Niels Vink, where he and Monfils were “cooked.”
The 31-year-old remarked at how the high-energy Frenchman was still going at 35 as he detailed the humorous exchange.
“I was in the locker room with Gael Monfils, he won in straight (sets) we’re both like, cooked,” Alcott said with a smile.
“I was like ‘We are old!’
“And he’s like 35. We were both like this (hands on hips), ‘Oh my God. I’m the oldest man in the world!’
“And he wants to keep playing. What is he doing! Good on him, he’s a weapon. But I’m done”
ROD LAVER ARENA
Day session – From 11:00am AEDT
Women’s Singles • Round 4
D. Collins 27
E. Mertens 19
Day session – Not before 1:00pm AEDT
Women’s Singles • Round 4
S. Halep 14
A. Cornet
Day session – Not before 2:30pm AEDT
Men’s Singles • Round 4
A. De Minaur 32
J. Sinner 11
Night session – From 7:00pm AEDT
Men’s Singles • Round 4
T. Fritz 20
S. Tsitsipas 4
Women’s Singles • Round 4
K. Kanepi
A. Sabalenka 2
MARGARET COURT ARENA
Day session – From 11:00am AEDT
Women’s Doubles • Round 3
C. Dolehide 9
S. Sanders 9
M. Kostyuk
D. Yastremska
Mixed Doubles • Round 2
G. Olmos
M. Arevalo
L. Hradecka
G. Escobar
Day session – Not before 2:00pm AEDT
Men’s Singles • Round 4
M. Cressy
D. Medvedev 2
Day session – Not before 5:30pm AEDT
Women’s Singles • Round 4
I. Swiatek 7
S. Cirstea
JOHN CAIN ARENA
Day session – From 11:00am AEDT
Men’s Doubles • Round 3
M. Giron
S. Kwon
W. Koolhof 10
N. Skupski 10
Men’s Doubles • Round 3
D. Sweeny WC
L. Tu WC
R. Ram 2
J. Salisbury 2
Day session – Not before 2:00pm AEDT
Men’s Singles • Round 4
M. Cilic 27
F. Auger-Aliassime 9
1:52pm BARTY BLOCKBUSTER IN DRAW
For those wondering when Ash Barty’s next match is, she will take on another American on centre stage on Tuesdaay night.
Barty will face the Jessica Pegula after 7:00pm on Rod Laver Arena, following her straight sets win over American Amanda Anisimova.
In fact, the Aussie hasn’t lost a set so far in her dominant Australian Open campaign, with her recent match her longest time on court — and it only took her 74 minutes.
Gael Monfils and Matteo Berrettini will do battle after Barty’s clash in what shapes as a blockbuster night session.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal clashes with Denis Shapovalov after 2:00pm.
1:29pm SANDERS STORMS INTO QUARTERS
Aussie Storm Sanders and her American doubles partner Caroline Dolehide are through to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
The pair knocked off Ukranian pairing Marta Kostyuk and Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 6-4 on Margaret Court Arena.
“This is absolutely unreal,” Sanders said post-match.
“There was such a great atmosphere today. Being into the quarters is a career-best for me here at home and we want to keep going.”
12:20pm COLLINS FUMES AFTER MERTENS COMEBACK
Elise Mertens is on a roll!
The Belgian was on the ropes in the first set down 0-1 to American Danielle Collins.
That was before she was six of the next seven games to take the first 6-4.
As the mercury climbed over 30 here in Melbourne, Collins took her anger out on her racquet as Mertens worked her way back into the set, dropping her racquet on the ground in frustration after losing a point.
11:01am OPEN SLAMMED OVER SHUAI GAG
The Australian Open’s is bowing to corporate China. That’s the reason for banning fans from carrying messages of support for Peng Shuai, according to players who are disgusted by the move.
French tennis player Nicolas Mahut and former grand slam champion Martina Navratilova have slammed Tennis Australia’s decision to gag spectators from carrying messages of support for the Chinese player whose disappearance made headlines around the world in 2021.
On Saturday, video emerged showing two spectators approached by security and told to remove clothing that featured a message supporting Shuai amid ongoing concerns for her welfare.
The video sparked fury among fans and the playing group after TA claimed the shirts and banners breached their rule of “no political messaging”.
Mahut accused organisers of bowing to their sponsors and calling their stance cowardly while Navratilova dismissed it as pathetic.
“What’s going on!?” Mahut posted on social.
“What lack of courage! What if you did not have Chinese sponsors #1573.”
Martina Navratilova has also added her voice to those slamming the censorship.
“That’s just pathetic. The @wta stands pretty much alone on this!!!” she tweeted.
Peng — a two-time major champion in doubles — made allegations on social media against China’s former vice-premier, Zhang Gaoli, last year.
Despite numerous videos purporting to show her out in public being released by Chinese state media, there have been serious concerns for her wellbeing from across the tennis and wider sporting world ever since.
10:30am WORST OF MY CAREER
A dejected Alexander Zverev labelled his straight sets exit to Denis Shapovalov as one of the worst of his career where “everything” went wrong.
The world number three was dumped out of the Australian Open by Canada’s 14th seed 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in 2hr 21min in a display Zverev termed “just awful”.
The 24-year-old’s quest for a maiden grand slam continues despite having arrived in Australia as one of the tournament favourites.
“Everything,” Zverev said. “Maybe since Wimbledon, one of the worst matches I have played. It’s just tough.
“I give credit to Denis. It’s incredible he’s in the quarters. I think he deserves it.
“But today, in my opinion, was just awful from my side.
“It’s no one else’s fault. It’s purely me. At the end of the day, as the world number three, I have to take responsibilities for the things I do and don’t do.”
9:04am TOMIC SLEDGED IN BRUTAL WAY
He may no longer be at Melbourne Park but Bernard Tomic hasn’t been forgotten.
The controversial Aussie became a talking point on social media during Rafael Nadal’s epic fourth round tie-breaker against Adrian Mannarino.
In an absolute brutal display of tennis, the first set breaker took 28 minutes and 40 seconds as Nadal secured the 30-point decider, 16-14.
But why were those last 20 seconds important?
As tennis writer Ben Rothenberg mentioned, it made the tie-breaker longer than one of Tomic’s entire matches.
In 2014 Tomic set a then record for the shortest tennis match in history when he lost to Jarkko Nieminen 6-0 6-1.The match took 28 minutes and 20 seconds.
It’s fair to say Nadal and Mannarino were working a little bit harder than that on Sunday.
8:52AM TIME FOR TENNIS TO CHANGE
Tennis is paying the price for embracing Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and nobody else, with the game’s No.1 entertainer Nick Kyrgios hoping his charge towards a shock Australian Open doubles title helps breathe fresh life into a “dying” sport.
The Kyrgios-Thanasi Kokkinakis pairing has evolved into must-watch viewing after the unlikely stars stunned the No.1 seeds and No.15 seeds inside three days to charge into the quarter-finals as the tournament’s giant killers.
Lines snaked outside a capacity Kia Arena on Sunday afternoon, with all 5000 seats gone long before the Aussie baseline bandits hit the court.
“I saw the TV ratings up like 45 per cent, mate, let’s just get this clear,” Kyrgios said.
READ THE FULL STORY
8:40am DYLAN REVEALS STRUGGLES
A bout of depression sitting in hotel quarantine when Dylan Alcott flew home after completing the Golden Slam last year triggered an intense training program that has the champion on the verge of a fairytale farewell.
The retiring legend is just four sets away from bowing out with an eighth consecutive Australian Open, and 16th grand slam overall, after fighting back against teenager Niels Vink at Kia Arena.
The No. 1 seed was stunned to be playing a Dutchman who is about to be named the sport’s No. 2 player in the first round, and told Vink at the net after his gutsy 6-7 (1) 6-4 6-2 victory that he would win 20 slams.
Alcott, 31, watched on enviously from his 14 days locked in isolation as good mate Max Gawn partied for days on end after captaining Melbourne to the AFL premiership.
READ THE FULL STORY
7:30am GOOD MORNING
It was a day for the veteran battlers yesterday with rafa nadal and Gael Monfils winning through to the last eight.
W could see more of the ‘oldies’ follow suit today as Alize Cornet and Marin Cilic look to achieve the same.
Monfils, who 12 months ago left the Open in tears as he battled his demons, was righfully thrilled on Sunday warning “I’m not quite finished yet” after winning a drawn-out battle with unfancied Miomir Kecmanovic.
The 17th-seeded Monfils carved out a torrid straight-sets win over the 77th-ranked Serb 7-5, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 in 2hr 34min on John Cain Arena.
Monfils, yet to drop a set in his four wins at the year’s first major, will face Matteo Berrettini or 19th-seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the last eight.
It is 35-year-old Monfils’s first quarter-final appearance in Melbourne since 2016 when he lost to Canada’s Milos Raonic.
“It was really tough. He passed me on both sides. I tried to be very aggressive,” Monfils said.
“I tried not to let him dictate the points and that went well. It was just a battle.” Monfils does not intend to go home any time soon.
“I want to do better and I will try to play this quarter-final not like the last time… I’m not quite finished yet.”
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