Iga Świątek, the No. 1 tennis player in the women’s world ranking, may not have made it all the way to Wimbledon (she was defeated in the quarterfinals by Elina Svitolina), but she is evidently not letting it bother her as she unwinds in Crete.

The 22-year-old Pole, having the opportunity to rest before crossing over to the other side of the Atlantic (as the US Open follows in September), found herself in Greece for the second time in a few years, namely in Crete, which is becoming her favourite destination.

 

However, returning five years later, her adoration for Crete grew even more.

“I have to say I have the best job in the world as it allows me to travel to places like this. I’m seriously considering staying here until the end of the month.. Just don’t say anything to my team. For the wonderful holidays in Crete, I would like to thank @planet_escape, who took care of the smallest detail and made the short trip full of quality rest, beautiful views and delicious food,” she wrote in her post.

The Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport interviewed Hanspeter, father of Jannik Sinner, winner of the 2024 edition of the Australian Open. Hanspeter spoke with the usual reserved politeness that distinguishes his son, describing the emotions experienced in these two intense Australian weeks.

“Great joy, really nice. We spoke after the final, even if for a short time. I can say that watching him play on TV makes you suffer more, it was easier to follow him at Indian Wells or the Finals in Turin. As a child he was so, already as good at all sports as he is at his job,” he told.

 

Jannik’s dad also expressed his thoughts on the words expressed by his son during the award ceremony. “His words didn’t surprise me. That’s how he is, he quickly learned the culture of work, commitment and humility.”

Dad Hanspeter and mum Siglinde conveyed an important message to Sinner from day one. Hard work always pays off. Jannik grew up with humility and constant commitment. Values that allowed him to think about his path without paying attention to criticism and overcoming negative moments with determination.

Jannik’s words
In a press conference today in the new headquarters of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation in Rome, Jannik spoke again about the victory in Melbourne but also about the plans regarding his imminent come back to train.

“The way a tennis player reacts to a success like this is important, as well as to defeats. I’m a simple boy, I’m 22 years old and I like playing on the computer like the others. I think they really appreciate that about me. The Paris Olympics is a key event of the year. To bring a medal but also to experience the atmosphere, meet athletes from all over the world. And I obviously hope we bring home a lot of medals.”

 

Jannik then explained why he didn’t immediately return to his house in Sesto, once again showing his maturity and virtuous behivior.

“I didn’t go immediately because it would have taken away attention in a very difficult moment. A few days ago there was an accident and two children died along with their mother. I preferred to do everything here,” he told.

Coco Gauff thought it was “funny” how her outfit went viral on X after a fan account posted a made-up Gauff quote claiming that the 19-year-old American was paying homage to Serena Williams with her yellow Australian Open outfit.

Last week, Gauff’s outfit for the 2024 Australian Open featuring a yellow top and a yellow shirt was revealed. After seeing Gauff’s outfit, one fan was reminded of a yellow outfit that Williams rocked during the 2016 Australian Open.

The fan decided to have some fun with it, posting the outfit and writing a made-up Gauff quote: “With this kit, I definitely wanted to channel my inner Serena. She is an inspiration on and off the court so this one is for her… it even has the lil crop top she had.”

 

On Monday, Gauff introduced her yellow outfit as the top-ranked American made a winning start at Melbourne Park after dismantling Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3 6-0.

After the match, Gauff admitted she fell for the prank initially and even contacted her agent before realizing that the post was fake. Still, Gauff found it funny and noted she has no problems if some consider her yellow outfit a homage to Williams, the player she idolized.

Gauff: If some think this is a homage to Williams, that’s cool
“Yeah, if you want to make it a homage to her [Serena Williams], that’s really cool. That wasn’t the thought process behind it. I love Serena, and I think she has the best fashion game on the court and off the court and everything,” Gauff added.

 

“So, yeah, it wasn’t an homage to her, but it was funny how that tweet kind of circulated. I know that account was probably, like, going to laugh at this.”

For Gauff, the most important thing is that she has gotten off to a fast start to her Australian Open campaign. After losing just three games in her opener, Gauff will also be looking to deliver a strong performance against Caroline Dolehide in the Australian Open second round.

Canada’s tennis star Leylah Fernandez has revealed that she is looking forward to recovering from her impressive start at the Australian Open by watching a crime drama.

The first Grand Slam of the year has begun on Sunday where players from all over the world are participating to showcase their talent and battling it out to secure the ultimate prize.

Fernandez secured a thumping win in her first-round clash of the mega-event against the Czech Republic’s Sara Bejlek with a score of 7-6, 6-2. Talking after the match, the 21-year-old revealed that she is looking forward to recovering by watching a crime drama.

 

“First I’m gonna recover. After, I’ll probably watch a show called ‘Reacher’,” she said. “It’s pretty good one. Maybe I’m gonna crochet a bit. I love crocheting. It was a tough first-round match against Sara; she is a very, very good young player.

“I haven’t played many lefties, so it was a tough one, but I’m super happy that I was able to play some good points in some important moments, and playing in front of an amazing crowd feels good.”

Fernandez will have some time to recover from the contest as she is now set to face America’s Alycia Parks in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.

Aryna Sabalenka acknowledges Elena Rybakina “crushed” her in the Brisbane International final and admits she was just grateful to have won at least three games against the Kazakh.

Sabalenka, who was the top-seeded player in Brisbane, pretty routinely made the final in her first tournament of the year with four convincing straight-set wins. Although Sabalenka entered the Brisbane final playing great and convincing tennis, she didn’t stand a single chance against world No. 3 Rybakina, who crushed the Belarusian 6-0 6-3.

After getting destroyed by Rybakina in Brisbane, defending Australian Open champion Sabalenka returned to the practice court with the intention of fixing the mistakes she made against the Kazakh.

 

“Elena just played incredible tennis. She just crushed it. I tried to do my best, and I’m just thankful for those three games,” Sabalenka said in her pre-tournament press conference at Melbourne Park.

“Before the finals, I think I played really great tennis. After the finals was another week to work on those mistakes and just prepare myself as good as I can for Melbourne.”

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina© Getty Images Sport – Chris Hyde

Sabalenka, Rybakina weren’t placed in the same part of the draw
Last year, 25-year-old Sabalenka became a Grand Slam champion after beating Rybakina in a high-quality final at Melbourne Park. 12 months ago, Sabalenka came back from a set down to beat Rybakina 4-6 6-3 6-4.

This year, Sabalenka and Rybakina are again among the top favorites for the Australian Open. Sabalenka, seeded at No. 2, landed in the bottom half of the Australian Open draw, while third-seeded Rybakina is in the top half of the Australian Open draw. That means Sabalenka and Rybakina could potentially meet only in the final at Melbourne Park.

 

 

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina© Getty Images Sport – Mark Kolbe

Meanwhile, Sabalenka is set to kick off her Australian Open title defense by taking on qualifier world No. 172 Ella Seidel. When Sabalenka and 18-year-old Seidel meet, it will be the first time that they are clashing against each other. Going into the match, Sabalenka is undoubtedly the major favorite and everything but a routine Belarusian win would be a surprise.

Serena Williams teased Christopher Eubanks following the American’s collaboration with J. Lindeberg, telling the 27-year-old she knew his “legs” would land him a modeling gig one day.

Eubanks, who made the Wimbledon quarterfinal last year, has been announced as the newest ambassador for Swedish clothing brand J. Lindeberg. J. Lindeberg, which began as a golfing enterprise, today offers a wide range of clothes that include tennis, golf, and ski clothing.

“Tennis star @chris_eubanks96 joins the @jlindebergofficial team. We’re excited to welcome Chris as our newest ambassador,” J. Lindeberg said in a statement.

 

Eubanks, who made a big breakthrough last year, is thrilled to be working with J. Lindeberg.

”I am incredibly excited to be partnering with J. Lindeberg. To see a brand that offers so much individuality offers a world of possibilities with creative expression,” Eubanks said in a statement.

Williams teases Eubanks: Knew your legs would land you a modeling gig
Eubanks and Williams have a good relationship, having been hitting partners numerous times.

Reacting to the news in the comment section, Williams wrote: “I knew your legs would land you a modeling gig one day! (the hands up emoji).” Eubanks responded by posting three hands-up emojis.

 

Williams also received a response from J. Lindeberg, who wrote: “@serenawilliams Chris was (fire emoji).”

Meanwhile, world No. 34 Eubanks is preparing to kick off his Australian Open campaign by playing against Taro Daniel. On Monday, Eubanks will be kicking off his fourth main draw appearance at Melbourne Park.

When Eubanks takes on 30-year-old Daniel, it will be their first meeting on the main level. Previously, Eubanks and Daniel met once in 2018, when the American beat the Japanese in the New York Open qualifying event.

After picking up back-to-back first-round exits at Melbourne Park in 2019 and 2020, Eubanks clinched his first Australian Open win last year when he beat Sonwoo Kwon before losing to Jiri Lehecka in the second round. It remains to be seen if Eubanks can make a more notable run this year and earn his new best Australian Open result.

Novak Djokovic confesses there was indeed a reason why he mimicked Ben Shelton’s celebration following their US Open match as the Serb defended himself by saying it was “a reaction to a provocation.”

Just moments after sealing a three-set win over Shelton in the US Open semifinal, Djokovic was spotted mimicking the American’s “hung up the phone” celebration. That moment quickly went viral as many felt the world No. 1 was mocking the 21-year-old American.

Down by two sets and a break, Shelton managed to get the break back in the eighth game of the third set and tie the set to four games apiece. After getting the break back in the third set, Shelton pulled his phone celebration. However, it didn’t lead to a Shelton comeback as Djokovic went on to seal a 6-3 6-2 7-6 (4) win.

When asked directly if he was mocking Shelton, Djokovic insisted he imitated it just because he thought it was a cool celebration. On the other side, Shelton also claimed he didn’t have any problems with it, suggesting it was “flattering” to see a player like Djokovic imitate him.

 

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic© Getty Images Sport – Mike Stobe

But still many weren’t buying it and the general opinion was that Djokovic was indeed mocking Shelton. Now, Djokovic has shed the light on what really happened.

“You use the word ‘provoke.’ I don’t provoke. This is my reaction to a provocation that came from the opposite side. Regarding Ben Shelton, it was a reaction against him, on the fact that he did not behave correctly, with respect on the court, and also before the match,” Djokovic told L’Equipe.

“That’s the story. I’m never going to make fun of someone if they don’t do something first. Every time I lose, I always give my opponent a hug, I congratulate him, I respect him and his team. But if someone places themselves in the ‘unsportsmanlike’ zone, I react.”

Djokovic on battling ‘big personal problems’ in Monte Carlo last year
Last year, two-time Monte Carlo Masters champion Djokovic didn’t do well in the Principality. After a first-round bye, Djokovic didn’t really play his best tennis against Ivan Gakhov but still escaped with a straight-set win. But in the round-of-16, Djokovic suffered a shock defeat after Lorenzo Musetti stunned the world No. 1 4-6 7-5 6-4.

 

Throughout the entire match, Djokovic wasn’t looking great on the court and he appeared to be nervous and tense. Still, Djokovic managed to go up by a set and open a 4-2 lead in the second set. But then, Djokovic suffered a collapse as Musetti went on to complete a major comeback against the record 24-time Grand Slam champion and send the world No. 1 packing out of Monte Carlo.

After Musetti forced a third set, a frustrated Djokovic broke his racket in frustration. During the match, Djokovic stunningly lost his serve eight times.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic© Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill

“I didn’t talk about it at the time but, at that time, I was having big personal problems. It is in these circumstances that I become very frustrated,” Djokovic said.

“Obviously, I don’t want to show it too much, I try to remain as professional as possible but I remain human, with emotions… And I wasn’t happy to lose a match. But what awaited me outside of a tennis court mattered more that day.”

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic© Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill

Djokovic felt he was the better player in the 2023 Wimbledon final
In the summer, Djokovic was bidding to win his eighth Wimbledon title and tie Roger Federer for the most titles at The Championships. Djokovic pretty routinely made the Wimbledon final, having lost a total of two sets en route to making yet another final at The All England Club.

In the Wimbledon final, Djokovic made a pretty strong start against Carlos Alcaraz, winning the first set with a 6-1 scoreline. But then, Alcaraz managed to win a very tight second set and ultimately clinch a 1-6 7-6 (6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 win.

 

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz© Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill

In the 2019 Wimbledon final, Djokovic famously saved two consecutive championship points en route to edging out Federer in a thriller final. Since then, Djokovic has said several times that Federer was the better player that day but it just wasn’t meant to happen for the Swiss.

In his interview with L’Equipe, Djokovic repeated that statement. Also, Djokovic said he believes that happened to him in the 2023 Wimbledon final as he felt he was the better player on that day but still lost. After making that statement, Djokovic highlighted that he was not taking anything away from the Spaniard and that the 21-year-old deserved to win.

“This year it was me who was perhaps the best player in the final at Wimbledon for most of the match, I was supposed to win and I lost. That doesn’t mean Carlos didn’t deserve it. It’s like that. At this level, a missed shot can be very costly,” Djokovic said.

Coco Gauff wasn’t particularly impressed with the USTA’s artwork created for the Australian Open, describing it as “foul” and adding that it made her and fellow Americans on the poster “look ugly.”

On Sunday, the USTA posted a creation inspired by the American cartoon show “The Wild Thornberrys.” After seeing the post, reigning US Open champion Gauff used the word “hideous” to describe the depictions.

“Worst thing I’ve ever seen,” Gauff wrote in a since-deleted Instagram Story.

“Like a caricature artist decided to make (us) all look like hideous looking people. The art style is cool for a cartoon show but not for a hype post. Foul.”

 

USTAs artwork
USTAs artwork© Coco Gauff – Instagram

Gauff: It made us look so ugly
Gauff also commented on the depictions on X, stating that the depiction made her “look so ugly.”

“Y’all I know it is a cartoon show but I think I would prefer to be drawn as a Bratz art style and not this. This is makes us all look so ugly,” Gauff wrote on X in a since-deleted post.

On X, some fans posted about the comments Gauff left on Instagram. Reflecting on that, Gauff claimed: “I was joking. a few us were joking about it omg.”

i was joking 😭 a few us were joking about it omg

— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) January 14, 2024
Gauff sent out another post, in which she defended herself: “I was bored in my hotel room. I’m sorry y’all it was just a kiki plz let me breathe. Tennis twitter is funny but ruthless haha omg.”

I was bored in my hotel room😭 i’m sorry y’all it was just a kiki plz let me breathe🙏🏾 tennis twitter is funny but ruthless haha omg

 

— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) January 14, 2024
Meanwhile, No. 4 seed Gauff is opening her campaign at Melbourne Park on Sunday.

Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff© Getty Images Sport – Graham Denholm

In her Australian Open first-round match, Gauff will be taking on 67th-ranked Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Going into the match, Gauff owns a 2-0 head-to-head against Schmiedlova and she is the big favorite to also clinch her third win over the German in Melbourne.

After winning the US Open fourth months ago, Gauff is bidding to also win the Australian Open and clinch back-to-back Grand Slam titles.

Tom Brady is enjoying an unexpected retirement benefit — sun!

The former quarterback’s time with the New England Patriots — and college stint at the University of Michigan — brought him some seriously cold winters. Now, he’s ditching them in favor of some fun in the sun.

On Sunday, Brady, 46, shared some sweet shots from a sunny outing with his kids, poking fun at his past winters in the caption.

“I did Michigan and Massachusetts winters for a long time,” he wrote. “Let me have this 😂🦞☀️.”

In the photos, Brady and his two youngest kids, Benjamin Rein, 13, and Vivian Lake, 10, whom he shares with ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, hang out on a boat and don snorkeling gear — masks, snorkels and fins — to explore the surrounding water.

 

The retired NFL star also shared a photo of himself helping Vivian with her snorkel and one of the group face-down, swimming and exploring the sparkling blue water.

Brady did not reveal the location of his sunny boat ride, but he did also share a photo of a cooler full of lobsters on ice.

Earlier this month, Brady brought Jack to meet San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama, a 19-year-old French rising NBA star.

Brady, Jack and Wembanyama posed for a photo that the NFL alum shared on Instagram. In the pic, the basketball player towered over the quarterback and his son.

 

“3 on 3 who’s got next?!” Brady joked alongside the snap.

Last month, Brady enjoyed a fun — though slightly less sunny — outing with Vivian and Benjamin on Halloween.

The former quarterback shared a glimpse into his spooky holiday with the two kids on his Instagram Story, posting a photo of the pair dressed in all black, save for Benjamin’s red Deadpool mask.

In an unexpected twist, Polish tennis sensation Iga Swiatek recently swapped her tennis racket for a surfboard as she embraced a surf lesson in preparation for the highly anticipated 2024 United Cup at RAC Arena.

Known for her incredible prowess on the tennis court, Swiatek’s venture into the world of surfing showcases her versatile and adventurous spirit. The 2024 United Cup, a pinnacle event in the tennis world, is set to witness not only Swiatek’s unparalleled skills on the court but also her fearless approach to embracing new challenges.

The surf lesson, held at an undisclosed location, provided a refreshing break from Swiatek’s intense training routine. Surrounded by the beauty of the waves, she displayed a natural affinity for the ocean, capturing the attention of onlookers and fans alike.

 

Swiatek, the 2020 French Open champion, has consistently demonstrated her ability to excel in the world of professional tennis. However, her foray into surfing is a testament to her commitment to holistic athleticism and a desire to explore new horizons beyond the tennis court.

The 2024 United Cup promises to be a thrilling competition, with Swiatek undoubtedly set to be a standout contender. As fans eagerly await her performance on the tennis court, this unexpected surf adventure adds an extra layer of excitement and anticipation to her journey.

The tennis world is no stranger to athletes embracing diverse interests and hobbies outside their primary sport, and Swiatek’s surfing escapade only adds to the rich tapestry of stories within the sports community. It highlights the importance of balance, rejuvenation, and the pursuit of new challenges for athletes striving for excellence.

 

As the 2024 United Cup approaches, the buzz around Iga Swiatek continues to grow, fueled not only by her tennis prowess but also by her willingness to step out of her comfort zone and ride the waves of new experiences.

In a sports landscape often defined by intense competition, Swiatek’s surf lesson serves as a reminder that even the most dedicated athletes can find joy and inspiration beyond the boundaries of their primary discipline. Fans can now eagerly anticipate seeing Swiatek’s unique blend of skill and determination unfold both on the tennis court and, unexpectedly, on the waves.

The 2024 United Cup is poised to be a showcase of not only exceptional tennis talent but also the diverse and multifaceted personalities that make up the world of professional sports. As Iga Swiatek continues to make waves—both on and off the court—her journey promises to be one of the highlights of this prestigious tournament.