Carlos Alcaraz mentally recharged during the off-season before making another attempt to win the Australian Open, spending time at home with family members, and playing board games.
The Spaniard, who has already won each of the other three majors twice, would win a victory in Melbourne to complete his career Grand Slam.
If he did, Roger Federer, the six-time Australian Open champion, would join him as the 22-year-old becomes the youngest player overall and the only player to surpass the milestone in the men’s singles.
Alcaraz overcame Australia’s Adam Walton 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 despite taking a nine-week break from competitive tennis following a historic 2025 season that saw him win eight titles, including the French Open and US Open, and finish as year-end number one.
Alcaraz remarked, “It was a really long season, a tough one, lots of tough moments, lots of good moments.”
“I took a two-week vacation.” We had a good time in Miami with a large group of friends, and then we spent a second week in Turks and Caicos to unwind.
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He went into more detail about his daily pre-season routine, saying, “I used to practice the entire morning at 9:00 and finish at 14:00 or even 15:00. The entire morning consists of physical and mental conditioning.
“I took almost every afternoon off after that to do whatever I wanted to do: play board games, chill out at home, or stay with my family or friends.
Staying at home with the people you love is a better way to recharge your batteries.
Alcaraz has only made the final two appearances at the Australian Open, and despite his best showings in the quarter-finals of 2024 and 2025, he advanced in a comfortable fight against Walton.
Alcaraz, who was playing his first Grand Slam game since splitting with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, had to wait until the eighth game of the opening set before cutting off a break point, which he also had to do in the second, but he quickly recovered with a break of his own and was too strong in the crucial moments, pulling away in the tie-break tie-break tie to win it 7-2.
However, his 38 winners almost matched his 36 unforced errors, and he only managed to convert four of his 10 break points, which he will be eager to improve in his second-round encounter with Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann.
It was challenging to locate the good spot [against Walton] and “added Alcaraz.” He made a significant improvement over me. He was always strong from the beginning, strong, and in a good position. I occasionally found his flat ball to be very challenging.
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Third seed Alexander Zverev and 2025 runner-up Gabriel Diallo defeated Gabriel Diallo in four sets elsewhere in the men’s draw on day one.
The Germans only conceded seven games in the first set to set up a second-round meeting with either Alexei Popyrin or Alexandre Muller, who lost the tie-break 7-1.
After capturing Tabqa, the northern strategic city and its military airport on the Euphrates River, in a lightning offensive, the Syrian army is moving towards Raqqa, the stronghold of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), headed there.
Government forces captured the Euphrates Dam, also known as the Tabqa Dam, about 50km (31 miles) west of Raqqa city, after heavy fighting with SDF forces. In Raqqa governorate, which has been under the control of the SDF since 2015, government forces have amassed large amounts of military equipment.
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After talks to enlist the Kurdish fighters in Syria’s national army were unsuccessful, fighting broke out between the army and SDF forces in Aleppo on January 6. The SDF’s heavy weapons were to be laid down and handed over control of Aleppo’s regions to the national army by the end of the month’s conflict.
So what’s the latest situation on the ground? Will the Syrian army’s offensive increase the conflict in northern Syria?
(Al Jazeera)
What is the latest from Syria’s northeast?
About 40 kilometers (24 miles) west of Raqqa, the Syrian army seized control of Tabqa on Sunday. Additionally, it seized the Freedom Dam and the largest Euphrates Dam in the nation, which is adjacent to the strategic city, as well as the largest Baath Dam.
Government-allied groups said they have taken control of the Asayish headquarters, the security and police force in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, in the town of Markada while tribal fighters allied with the government have taken control of several major oil- and gasfields in the northeast, including Jafra and Conoco located in Deir Az Zor province bordering Iraq.
According to the Reuters news agency, Syrian forces seized the Rasafa and Sufyan oilfields in Raqqa, which could now be returned to production.
The SDF was accused of using drones in areas east of Deir Az Zor, another SDF stronghold in the northeast, by Syrian state media on Sunday.
Video clips and live footage published on social media and verified by Al Jazeera show celebrations in the cities of Hajin and al-Shuhayl in the eastern countryside of Deir Az Zor after news of the withdrawal of the SDF from the area. As fighting continues to rage, the Deir Az Zor governorate has ordered the closure of all public buildings for the safety of the residents.
After the recent rapid territorial gains, Syrian police spokesman Noureddine al-Baba informed Al Jazeera that police have secured all of the country’s captured areas.
On Saturday, the SDF withdrew from Deir Hafer and some surrounding villages in Aleppo governorate that are home to predominantly Arab populations, after which Syrian forces moved in, triggering celebrations. About 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Aleppo city lies Deir Hafer.
According to Hussein al-Khalaf, a Deir Hafer resident, “it happened with the least amount of losses.” “There’s been enough blood in this country, Syria. Too much has been sacrificed and lost. It’s getting old for everyone.
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, affiliated with the SDF, on Saturday accused the Syrian government of violating a withdrawal agreement, saying it “attacked our forces on multiple fronts since yesterday morning”. Raqqa’s attacks, which are a source of thousands of ISIL (ISIS) detainees, may pose a security risk, according to the SDF.
Nearly four years after the armed uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, the US-backed SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, was established. Al-Assad remained in power until he was ousted in December 2024 by Syrian opposition fighters led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is now interim president.
According to the Syrian Ministry of Information, Tom Barrack, the US envoy for Syria, will visit Damascus on Sunday for a meeting with Mazloum Abdi and al-Sharaa.
The rift between al-Sharaa’s government, which has pledged to reunify Syria after 14 years of war, and distrustful Kurdish authorities has grown as a result of the renewed fighting. On Friday al-Sharaa issued a decree declaring Kurdish a “national language” and granting the minority group official recognition.
(Al Jazeera)
How significant is Raqqa’s control?
Northern Syria’s largest oil- and gasfields are located in Raqqa, which has an Arab-majority governorate.
Kurdish anxieties have been sharpened by sectarian bloodshed last year when almost 1, 500 Alawites were killed by pro-government forces in western Syria and hundreds of Druze were killed in clashes in the south.
Arab civilians gathered in the streets to celebrate the victory of the Syrian army in these areas.
This demonstrated the SDF’s social and demographic fragility. Now the question is, will the SDF see this reality and agree to demands by Damascus to integrate into the Syrian state”, Omer Ozkizilcik from the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs said.
Syrian affairs analyst Omar Abu Layla claimed that the Damascus authorities “didn’t listen to him” despite making numerous attempts to negotiate with the SDF.
Abu Layla claimed that the central government had made numerous offers to the SDF, but that the organization “wasted time,” assuming Damascus’s authorities were weak, and that almost a year had passed since a March agreement that would have allowed the SDF’s forces to be integrated into the regular army.
“What]we] are witnessing now in the region is the end of the SDF”, he argued.
What did the Syrian army and the SDF agree on in March?
Abdi and al-Sharaa reached an agreement on March 10.
The agreement emphasised the unity of Syria and stipulated that “all civil and military institutions in northeastern Syria” be merged “into the administration of the Syrian state, including border crossings, the airport and oil and gas fields”.
Additionally, the agreement stated that the Kurdish people have guaranteed constitutional rights and are a part of Syria.
After the SDF and Syrian army’s agreement was broken, intense fighting broke out in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods last month. A US-brokered ceasefire took effect on January 10.
The Kurdish nationalist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been fighting the Turkish state for decades, has ties to the SDF’s secular Kurdish leadership. The PKK is still listed by Turkiye, the European Union, and the US as a “terrorist” group despite the announcement it made in May to lay down its weapons and disband.
Despite this, the US backed the SDF because it was an effective partner against ISIL, which the SDF and a US-led coalition defeated in northeastern Syria by 2019.
What has the US done?
Washington has urged Syria’s army to halt its incursion into Kurdish-held territory.
Admiral Brad Cooper, who is in charge of US Central Command, which oversees the US military’s Middle East operations, wrote in a statement published on X that the Syrian army should “cease any offensive actions in areas” between Aleppo city and Tabqa.
West of Tabqa, Aleppo is roughly 160 kilometers (100 miles).
Cooper argued that working together with US and coalition forces is necessary to pursue ISIS and apply relentless military pressure to Syrian partners. “A Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors is essential to peace and stability across the region”.
Former US diplomat and professor William Laurence said: “The US will have to work very hard to resolve the political impasse between Syria’s government and the SDF.
Trump wants the “quick fix,” and he wants Tom Barrack to “kind of wave a magic wand and get what he wants. But that’s not really how things work”, Laurence told Al Jazeera.
Trust-building is essential to sustainable solutions, and we haven’t had much of it.
What has Al-Sharaa said?
After fierce clashes earlier this month, al-Sharaa issued a decree on Friday formally recognising Kurdish as a “national language” and restoring citizenship to all Kurdish Syrians.
After fighting broke out in Aleppo on January 6, at least 22 people were killed and 173 were hurt.
The decree recognizes Kurdish Syrians’ identity as a component of Syria’s national fabric among other rights. It designates Kurdish as a national language alongside Arabic and allows schools to teach it.
Additionally, it repeals measures that date back to a 1962 census in Hasakah province, which granted citizenship to all affected residents, including those who had previously been declared stateless, after the census.
The decree declares that the Kurdish New Year’s holiday, Newroz, is paid for the country. It bans ethnic or linguistic discrimination, requires state institutions to adopt inclusive national messaging and sets penalties for incitement to ethnic strife.
The Kurdish government in Syria’s north and northeast responded to the decree, saying that while it was “a first step, it does not fulfill the aspirations and hopes of the Syrian people.”
A decree formally recognizing Kurdish as a national language and granting citizenship to all Syrian Kurds has been signed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Giorgia Meloni, the country’s prime minister, criticized US President Donald Trump’s pledge to impose tariffs on European nations because they oppose a US invasion of Greenland. She describes it as a “mistake” caused by miscommunication.
Severus Snape actor Alan Rickman was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015 and made a heartbreaking request to doctors, his wife Rima Horton has told the Sunday Times
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Alan Rickman ‘ s wife Rima Horton says he had a plea to medics after his cancer diagnosis (Image: Getty)
Alan Rickman had a heartbreaking seven-word plea for doctors following his devastating cancer diagnosis. The 69-year-old Harry Potter legend passed away in 2016 after being told he had pancreatic cancer.
Survival rates for the disease remain desperately low. Just 22 per cent of those diagnosed survive beyond 30 days, with approximately 62 per cent of patients only receiving their diagnosis at stage four.
Now, a decade on from his passing, Alan’s widow Rima Horton has disclosed his poignant final request to medical staff during his last weeks.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, she revealed: “The first thing he ever said to the oncologist was, ‘ I don’t want to die in pain, ‘ and they made sure he didn’t”.
Alan’s dear friend Emma Thompson, who appeared alongside him in Love Actually, reportedly helped make his final weeks as peaceful as possible. Rima recalls how Emma “created a salon” for Alan, bringing in a standing lamp and throws to transform his clinical hospital surroundings, reports the Express.
Rima believes Alan wished to “say goodbye to his friends” in his own way, even meticulously organising his own funeral service. She is now putting up for auction a collection of Harry Potter books – a nod to Alan’s memorable role as Severus Snape – signed by his fellow cast members, including Helena Bonham-Carter, Ralph Fiennes and Rupert Grint.
She describes Snape as a “brilliant” character and an “important part of Alan’s life”. Rima confesses that Alan’s diagnosis back in 2015 came as a “tremendous shock”.
He was in Los Angeles promoting A Little Chaos when things took a turn. Alan began experiencing “a very nasty pain in his leg”, his wife recalled.
Upon returning to the UK, the star was urged to see a doctor immediately. Scans subsequently revealed he had pancreatic cancer.
He chose to keep the diagnosis private from loved ones, as they would “look at him and say, ‘ Oh how sad'”, Rima explains. He went on to have chemotherapy, which is believed to have extended his life by three months.
Proceeds from Rima’s Harry Potter auction will now fund a pioneering breath test at Imperial College London. The test could detect pancreatic cancer in its earliest stages, potentially saving lives like Alan’s.
Rima has recently shared Alan’s true feelings about Harry Potter. The actor documented his thoughts in a journal, soon to be published as Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries.
Ahead of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’s release, he confessed to feeling “a bit nothing about HP, which really disturbs me”, and this unease appeared to persist. His reaction to watching the first film focused solely on the music.
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He noted that it “acquires a scale and depth that matches the hideous score by John Williams”. The actor did, however, seem to thoroughly enjoy the Savoy after-party, his diary entries suggest.
Following the second film’s release in 2002, he appeared to have already grown weary of the role, noting, “reiterating no more HP. They don’t want to hear it”, though he subsequently indicated his willingness to “see it through”.
Emma Raducanu, the British no. 1, said taking a nap and going for a walk along the Melbourne river helped her get ready for the Australian Open first round victory.
In the second night session of Margaret Court Arena, the 23-year-old overcame a shaky start to sail past Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew.
Raducanu dropped serve early in the match against the world number 196, making her debut appearance at major since the 2022 US Open.
However, the former US Open champion eventually found her groove, winning seven games in a row and coming home with a 6-4, 6-1 victory just before 11 p.m. local time.
In her on-court interview, Raducanu said, “I had a potter around Melbourne this morning by the river, had a nap, came out, and the atmosphere was electric.”
“I want to thank everyone who stayed so late. On both sides, there was incredible support.
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Prior to her match, Raducanu had previously questioned the logic of scheduling a men’s best-of-five sets game on the same court.
Raducanu booked a late-night training session on Saturday to get ready for the cold, sluggish nighttime conditions.
However, Alexander Bublik, a male 10th seed, won a dominant straight-set match against American Jenson Brooksby in less than two hours, making it an earlier start than she had anticipated.
The preparation began yesterday when I scheduled a court appointment from 21:15 to 23:15, according to Raducanu.
The ball doesn’t bounce as much through the air or bounce as high as it does during the day; it moves much slower and colder.
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In 2025, Raducanu made encouraging progress, placing her back in the top 30 on the global stage and winning more matches than she had in any other career season.
However, a foot injury prevented the technical work she had planned for the off-season with coach Francisco Roig, who helped Rafael Nadal win 16 of his 22 major titles.
She only managed one victory before losing to world number 204 Taylah Preston in her final game before the first major of the year in Hobart.
As Sawangkaew, who made her Grand Slam main draw debut, burst onto the scene with aggressive returns and deft net play, it appeared as though Raducanu might experience yet another upset.
In the third game, she broke the Briton and had a 4-1 lead, but Raducanu followed with a few brave winners to keep her from even more distant.
After that, Raducanu picked up the game, striking back to tie the match 4-4 before breaking once more to take the opener.
She won 27 of the 40 points offered in the second set, continuing to overpower the Thai player, with an ace that sealed her victory.
I’m relieved to have won the match, “very much.” “I always believed that she was playing very well,” said the 28th seed, Raducanu.
