• Simon Briggs

It took 15 minutes for Sharapova to win her first game but she gradually improved her service, started attacking Vinci's and clinched the first set after an hour.

Andy Murray has advanced to the third round of the Barcelona Open without playing a stroke after opponent Bernard Tomic withdrew on Wednesday.

• Simon Briggs

Just over a year later, the use of meldonium is no longer the primary issue. But a new sense of discontent has grown up around the red-carpet ride provided by those wild cards.

Serena Williams has launched a stinging attack on Ilie Nastase, accusing the Romanian Fed Cup captain of racially abusing her and her unborn baby and hurling sexist abuse at her fellow female tennis players.

Not much fazes Roberta Vinci after 16 years on tour but the maelstrom swirling around her opening match in Stuttgart against Maria Sharapova will test even the Italian's vast experience.

• UPDATED

Ilie Nastase was unrepentant about his Fed Cup tennis expulsion and doesn't care what punishment he receives.

Australia are in the box seat after day one of their Fed Cup World Group II play-off tie against Serbia, taking a 2-0 lead following singles wins to Ashleigh Barty and Daria Gavrilova on Saturday.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has launched an investigation after home captain Ilie Nastase was sensationally thrown off the court, leading to the suspension of Great Britain's Fed Cup play-off against Romania.

• Benjamin Millar

Notorious former tennis star Ilie Nastase is back in hot water after apparently making a racist comment about Serena Williams' pregnancy.

Margaret Court doubts motherhood will deny Serena Williams the all-time singles record but younger, hungry opponents may.

In a week when there has been plenty of talk about Australian values, Ashleigh Barty and her Fed Cup teammates will be keen to show some in their World Group II play-off tie against Serbia.

• COMMENT
• Darren Kane

Maria Sharapova's career will forever be blemished, but she certainly didn't set out to cheat.

• Simon Briggs

Tennis superstar Serena Williams is pregnant and expecting to deliver her first baby this autumn, her spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Tennis superstar Serena Williams is pregnant and expecting to deliver her first baby this northern autumn, her spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

World number two Novak Djokovic came close to an early exit at the Monte Carlo Masters but finally emerged triumphant with a 6-3 3-6 7-5 second-round victory against France's Gilles Simon.

Bernard Tomic has all but closed the door on helping Australia reach their first Davis Cup final in more than a decade as he focuses solely on arresting his dramatic rankings slide.

Bernard Tomic's run of outs has continued into the claycourt season with the Australian suffering a first round loss at the Monte Carlo Masters.

• Phil Lutton

Nick Kyrgios knows talking won't be enough to prove to his critics he is evolving as a player and a person, so in Brisbane he walked the walk as he spearheaded the quarter-final victory over the United States.

• Phil Lutton

Who wants to play Nick Kyrgios? Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has welcomed all comers against his No.1 player as Australia tries to wrap up the quarter-final tie against the US.

Three matches at this year's Australian Open were investigated by the Tennis Integrity Unit who cleared them of any suspicion, the TIU has said.

• Phil Lutton

Australia's top player held his nerve against John Isner to help his team go 2-0 up in the Davis Cup tie, before saying his rejuvenated focus and hunger wouldn't satisfy all of his critics.

• Greg Baum

It's not just that Roger Federer at 35 is winning at the same rate as when he was 25. It's not just that he has beaten Rafael Nadal three times in a row for the first time in their long rivalry, all in finals.

• COMMENT
• Malcolm Knox

Will some wins for Australia win Australia over? It's a depressing thought. Yes, we all love a winner, but at what cost? Do we have no principles at all?

• Phil Lutton

The Australian singles No.1 said he would relish a five-set clash with John Isner in the wake of the Davis Cup draw for Friday's quarter-final against the Americans in Brisbane.

Anastasia Rodionova and Daria Gavrilova join Sam Stosur in the third round of the Charleston Open.

"Alright - I don't usually post stuff like this on social media … but special exception this time," the 21-year-old, who's become known as much for his tantrums as he has for his trick shots, posted on Facebook on Wednesday night.

Jack Sock has seen the best and worst of Nick Kyrgios and is bracing for more of the former in Australia's Davis Cup quarter-final tie against the United States.

• Charlie Eccleshare

The possible reforms are an attempt to shorten the length of matches and make the sport as attractive as possible to supporters and television companies, without losing the essence of the sport.

Samantha Stosur has started her claycourt season with a straight-sets win over former world No.1 Jelena Jankovic at the WTA tournament in Charleston.