IN PICTURES: Daria Saville and her beloved pet dog Tofu meet tour players ft. Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff
Russian-born Daria Saville had the perfect catalyst to enthrall her fellow tour players, including Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, ahead of the eagerly anticipated Australian Open 2023.
Saville, 28, and her husband Luke Saville's pet dog, Tofu, of the Dauschand breed, was introduced to a few tour players, including the likes of 21-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula, among others, as they all lined up to take turns clicking pictures with the adorable dog.
Saville turned to her Instagram to post pictures of Tofu's cute meet-up with the fellow stars. The 28-year-old reflected on Tofu's cute day out and called the ATP and WTA players as Tofu's "friends."
"Tofu and friends part 1. don’t get fooled by this. Tofu barked at most people," Daria Saville captioned her social media post.
An update on Novak Djokovic's injury concerns ahead of the Australian Open 2023
The former World No. 1's quest for a record 10th Australian Open title was slightly clouded by his injury concerns when he withdrew last week from a practice match against Daniil Medvedev.
The 35-year-old is back in Australia after a horrendous fiasco that saw him deported from Australia last year due to his unvaccinated status. During his match against the 2021 US Open winner, the veteran was forced to stop midway around 36 minutes due to an apparent injury to his left hamstring. At the time of his withdrawal, the Russian had won the first set, 6-4.
However, after his practice match with the Russian, the tennis icon assured his fans that he withdrew just to avoid "bigger scares," and there was nothing to worry about.
"It’s the hamstring that I had problems with in Adelaide last week. I just felt it pulling and I didn’t want to risk anything worse. I played a set and apologised to him (Medvedev) and he was understanding. I just want to avoid any bigger scares before the Australian Open," he said, as per Sportstar.
A few days later, the 2022 Wimbledon winner returned to training to gear up for the 2023's first Grand Slam. In a video posted by a sports journalist, Djokovic was spotted lightly training with "minimal strapping" on his left hamstring.
"Novak Djokovic moved well at practice today and had minimal strapping on his troublesome hamstring."
At a press conference ahead of the Grand Slam, the Serbian maestro stated that he has been more "cautious" regarding his hamstring injury and hoped that it won't pose a problem for him.
"Obviously, I'm being a bit more cautious. I'm not going full out on the training sessions, conserving the energy for next week. Hopefully, it won't cause an issue for me then," he said.
As part of a charity event, Djokovic played a friendly match against Nick Kyrgios, which the Aussie won.