The ATP calendar is very long and the first Grand Slam of the season represents only an appetizer of a long series of tournaments that will characterize a very important season for several top players.

FILE - Italy’s Jannik Sinner returns the ball to Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor during the Davis Cup final tennis match between Netherlands and Italy at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

Ukraine’s 30-year-old Elina Svitolina, the wife of celebrated Frenchman Gael Monfils and mother to their two-year-old daughter, Skai, reached the final eight in Melbourne for the first time in six years – “a lifetime ago” – by beating Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 6-1. As always, she refused to shake the hand of a Russian opponent.