SHARAPOVA TESTS POSITIVE & TENNIS BIDS FAREWELL TO BUD COLLINS

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:

Let's dig a bit deeper into the tennis happenings during week 9. 

​ATP

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​DAVIS CUP WINNERS

Click for expanded results and draws

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RUNDOWN
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• Bud Collins passed away at the age of 86. The long-time sportswriter and broadcaster left an enviable imprint on tennis, as evidenced by the flood of remembrances and tributes after news broke of his death. Check out the "On The Web" sections for some of the best.
• Lleyton Hewitt became player-coach of the Australian Davis Cup team after Nick Kyrgios was unable to play the team's tie versus the United States.​ The recently retired Hewitt lost a 5-set doubles match with John Peers to the Bryan Brothers.

• 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. 

Fiestas de la Magdalena más igualitarias y respetuosas. Orgulloso de mi tierra. #Magdalena2016 pic.twitter.com/zW3Jlnrrqu

— Roberto BautistaAgut (@BautistaAgut) 2 March 2016

The guys are suit shopping for the official dinner! #DavisCup #GoCanada pic.twitter.com/QUmV0Me6Jm

— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) 1 March 2016

Was hoping to see @kobebryant @Lakers but enjoyed the game & seeing fellow Swiss @ThaboSefolosha was very cool pic.twitter.com/KaWjR0ua0D

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) 5 March 2016

Heat of the moment, not gonna take it personally. Indian wells a week away, plenty of time.

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) 6 March 2016

Just don't expect me to have your back anytime soon.

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) 6 March 2016

Tirage au sort ! #DavisCup #FranceCanada pic.twitter.com/V1vmNnXnz1

— Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (@tsonga7) 3 March 2016

□□□ https://t.co/qW1965KXGO

— Andre Agassi (@AndreAgassi) 2 March 2016

pic.twitter.com/zTLGkdV5yj

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) 4 March 2016

I'm pretty sure I could beat him at this ....... https://t.co/dNWgHeailh

— andyroddick (@andyroddick) 1 March 2016

​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

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WINNERS
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• 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)

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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. 

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​RANKINGS WATCH
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• 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)

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• 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)

THATS WASSUP □ Kisses with bae □□□ #3 @WTA pic.twitter.com/WfhhSWgP6m

— Heather Watson (@HeatherWatson92) 7 March 2016

The tennis world lost a great person, a pioneer, a leading individual for our sport. He changed… https://t.co/33hqPkuNDo

— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) 6 March 2016

Celebrating the life of Bud Collins today. Few know how much he did for the game of tennis. He… https://t.co/yoL5tr46x7

— Venus Williams (@Venuseswilliams) 5 March 2016

The ultimate cool down after practice! Harold didn't work very hard but needed a cool down too… https://t.co/SknxNN6vki

— Venus Williams (@Venuseswilliams) 2 March 2016

Early morning or late night celebration □□#thankful #FamEli pic.twitter.com/2MRIRekLdU

— Elina Svitolina (@ElinaSvitolina) 6 March 2016

How adorable is Mia?! A little mini me.. She is definitely rocking the dress!! □□□□❤️ pic.twitter.com/c88spiYB07

— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) 2 March 2016

Well done @HeatherWatson92 !!! □□ @Abierto_MTY 2016 champion □ Very Happy for you & your sweet coach, your mum ! □ https://t.co/NAJKhSvZ4t

— Caroline Garcia (@CaroGarcia) 7 March 2016

​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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