Sloane wins at ESPYs as attention turns to US Open

Sloane Stephens has capped a stellar 12 months by taking out the award for the Best Female Tennis Player at Wednesday’s ESPYs in Los Angeles.

Stephens last September won the US Open and since then captured the Miami title and reached the Roland Garros final.

Ranked 957th at the end of July last year, she hit a career-high ranking of No.3 last week.

“Wow #espys all for me?? So honored to win Best Female Tennis Player Of The Year tonight!” she wrote on Instagram.

Pliskova gets married

World No.9 Karolina Pliskova wed fellow Czech Michael Hrdlicka in a ceremony in Monaco this week.

Pliskova got engaged to the 29-year-old – who is her manager as well as a TV presenter – this time last year.

Tennis.com reported that Karolina’s sister Kristyna, also a WTA player, was among the guests at the wedding.

My man of my life ?? #justmarried pic.twitter.com/AUxPajJfOv

— Karolina Pliskova (@KaPliskova) July 19, 2018

Berdych to skip US hard court season

Another Czech, Tomas Berdych, will miss the US Open – and Masters events in Toronto and Cincinnati – as he continues to struggle with a back injury.

The former world No.4, currently ranked 59th, skipped Wimbledon due to the same ailment.

This marks just the third time Berdych will miss a Grand Slam main draw dating back to the US Open in 2003.

Azarenka, Kuznetsova miss US Open cut

While Berdych will miss the season’s final Grand Slam event in New York, Victoria Azarenka and Svetlana Kuznetsova will be hoping to avoid the same fate.

The former Grand Slam champions both sit outside the cut-off; 101st-ranked Anna Blinkova was the last player directly accepted into the field after four players – Timea Bacsinszky, Laura Siegemund, Margarita Gasparyan and Mirjana Lucic-Baroni – used protected rankings to enter.

Azarenka is a two-time finalist at Flushing Meadows (2o12 and 2013) while Kuznetsova won the title while still a teenager back in 2004. She also reached the 2007 final.

To avoid the qualifying rounds, Azarenka (ranked No.108) and Kuznetsova (No.127) will hope for main-draw wildcards.

Svitolina hits with Murray

It’s not often top women hit with top men.

But Elina Svitolina and Andy Murray changed things up when they practised together in preparation for the US hard court season.

Svitolina, who now resides in London, last appeared on court at Wimbledon, where she made a disappointing first-round exit to Tatjana Maria.

Murray, meanwhile, was forced to skip the tournament entirely, not yet ready for the rigours of five-set tennis despite making his comeback to tennis in Queen’s and Eastbourne after almost a year on the sidelines with a hip injury.

Easing into the first day back with a little hit with @andy_murray ???????????? #pressure #nomistakes pic.twitter.com/o3QyZbwQbp

— Elina Svitolina (@ElinaSvitolina) July 19, 2018

Novak’s letter

Novak Djokovic has detailed his emotions following his recent Wimbledon triumph in a letter to fans published on his website.

The Serb, who now owns 13 Grand Slam singles titles and has returned to the top 10 after two years of form struggles, was especially thrilled to share the moment with his family.

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“The feeling of having my son in my wife’s arms at the trophy ceremony in the Players’ box was the most wonderful sensation I have had at any tournament that I have ever won in my career,” he wrote.

Djokovic, as is customary, bent down after clinching match point to pick and eat some of Centre Court’s hallowed turf.

“Wimbledon grass tasted great once more. I would just add some avocado and it would be perfect,” he wrote.