If you thought you could mentally check out of tennis last week because only Davis Cup and two minor WTA events were on offer, you were sorely mistaken. The last seven days have been filled with major tennis news: Bud Collins' passing, Australian Davis Cup drama, and Venus' touching letter regarding her Indian Wells return. But, the most shocking news of all came today when Maria Sharapova announced that she tested positive for a banned substance at this year's Australian Open.
Watch Sharapova's entire press conference below:
Watch Sharapova's entire press conference below:
Let's dig a bit deeper into the tennis happenings during week 9.
ATP
ATP
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DAVIS CUP WINNERS
 Click for expanded results and draws
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RUNDOWN
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- Bernard Tomic cast suspicions on Kyrgios, implying that he faked injury to avoid playing Davis Cup. Kyrgios fired back on Twitter, and took a few shots at Ben Rothenberg too. If you missed any of it, check it out HERE.
- On a lighter and more joyous note, Roberto Bautista Agut tweeted in support of LGBT issues, saying he was "proud of his country" for including LGBT folks in the Magdalena Festival celebrations.
- Andy Murray led Britain into the quarterfinals of this year's Davis Cup. Murray, who led Britain to the title last year with an unbeaten record, fought off Kei Nishikori in five sets.
- Novak Djokovic struggled mightily against Mikhail Kukushkin. With Serbia already down 1-2 in matches, Djokovic himself fell behind two sets to one before rallying for the five-set win.
- While Murray and Djokovic were embattled, Roger Federer spent his week leisurely taking in some American professional sport. He attended a Lakers game with Tommy Haas, posed with Thabo Sefolosha, and tweeted from inside the L.A. Kings locker room.
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ON THE WEB
"Stars of Tomorrow: Taylor Fritz"
"Thiem Surging Toward Forefront"
Andy Murray: on fatherhood, his tennis fears, and psychological battle with Djokovic
"British Tennis Still Hunting for Formula for Sustained Success"
Jon Wertheim Mailbag: Will There Ever Be Another Teenage Grand Slam Champ?"
"If the Hat Fits" - Steve Tignor
"Davis Cup Matches on Grass Should Have Been on Hardcourts"
"The Mouth that Soared is, Sadly, Silenced"
"Stan Wawrinka: Tennis' Under-the Radar Man"
Kyrgios and Tomic Feud at Davis Cup
"Davis Cup: Andy Murray beats Kei Nishikori in five sets to give GB victory"
WTA
WINNERS
RUNDOWN
- Kuala Lumpur - Svitolina d. Bouchard 6-7 6-4 7-5 (d. Kato, Ozaki, Kucova, Zhu)
- Monterrey - Watson d. Flipkens 3-6 6-2 6-3 (d. Doi, Hercog, Wozniacki, Garcia)
RUNDOWN
- Maria Sharapova announced today that she failed a drug test at this year's Australian Open. The press conference, called to announce "major news," caused rampant speculation as to whether Sharapova would be announcing her retirement. Instead, the news sent shock waves of a different kind throughout the tennis world. Read more about the breaking story HERE, HERE and HERE.
- A new career high for Elina Svitolina at #14 after winning the 4th WTA title of her career in Kuala Lumpur. The win comes weeks after making a semifinal run in Dubai.
- Genie Bouchard made the final of Kuala Lumpur, losing to Svitolina in a match where she experienced a re-occurrence of the concussion-like symptoms that have plagued her since the U.S. Open last year.
- Heather Watson won the 3rd WTA title of her career in Monterrey, vaulting her 31 spots in the rankings to #53.
- Venus Williams wrote a touching tribute to her sister, Serena, as she explained her thought process behind returning to Indian Wells next week. Often guarded and therefore mysterious, Venus let us into her world in a way we have rarely seen before.
RANKINGS WATCH
RANKINGS WATCH
- RISING: Svitolina (+5 to #14), Bouchard (+10 to #42), Watson (+31 to #53), Flipkens (+14 to #59), Kontaveit (+18 to #73), Broady (+20 to #76), Gibbs (+9 to #95)
- FALLING: Ivanovic (-2 to #18), Bacsinszky (-7 to #21), Wozniacki (-3 to #25), Goerges (-7 to #63), Hsieh (-12 to #81), Dulgheru (-26 to #93)
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ON THE WEB
"Why I'm Going Back to Indian Wells" - Venus Williams
"Venus Williams on Being a Role Model and Entrepreneur"
"Babos Bubbling Beneath Big Serve"
"Serena Says Time Off from Competition Won't Hurt Her Game"
"10 Things Indian Wells" - WTA Insider
"Bud Collins, Barrier-Breaker and Tennis Authority, Dies at 86"
"Farewell to Bud Collins, a True Tennis Ace"
"Bud Collins, Veteran Tennis Journalist, Dies at 86"
"Bud Collins's Sportswriting was Foundation of Career, Legacy"
"BUD"
"Insider Notebook: Desert Dreaming"
PODCASTS
Tennis.com - "An Early Examination of Indian Wells"
No Challenges Remaining - "Tennis Goes Hollywood"
WTA Insider - "Let the Madness Begin"
The Tennis Podcast - "Andy Murray on Fatherhood, 10 Years at the Top, and Plans to Play into His Mid-30s"
Beyond the Baseline - "Taylor Fritz"
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