Tennis News Today: Novak Djokovic's wife Jelena admires his gym workout; Emma Raducanu's US Open 2021 draw was easy according to Marta Kostyuk
As Novak Djokovic's campaign at the ongoing Australian Open gathers pace, his wife Jelena has applauded the World No.1's workout routine. Marta Kostyuk reached her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal in Melbourne on Sunday with a win over Maria Timofeeva.
Kostyuk later stated that an easy draw at a Major certainly helps a player and cited Emma Raducanu's win at the 2021 US Open as an example. Iga Swiatek's loss to Linda Noskova in the third round of the Australian Open sent shockwaves through the tennis community.
Plenty of questions are being raised regarding the Pole's gameplay, and Martina Navratilova also chimed in with her thoughts. Naomi Osaka's return to the Australian Open was quite short-lived as she was knocked out in the first round. But she's making the most of her time Down Under and was seen playing pickleball with Nick Kyrgios and Frances Tiafoe.
With that, here's a quick round-up of the day's headlines:
Novak Djokovic's wife praises her husband's strict workout regime
Djokovic's first-round encounter against Dino Prizmic at the Australian Open lasted over four hours, but he eventually triumphed in four sets. The Serb needed four sets to get past Alexei Popyrin in the second round too.
Djokovic put in a better performance in the third round as he bested Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets. But Djokovic put on a clinic on Sunday against Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round as he cruised to a 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 victory.
At 36 years of age, to get better and better with every round isn't an easy task, but Djokovic makes it look that way. The Serb is quite meticulous about his fitness routine and that hasn't gone unnoticed by his wife, Jelena. She took to Instagram to applaud him for it too when a video of his workout was shared.
"Ouch 😍 😍 😍 😍 ", Jelena Djokovic wrote on Instagram.
Djokovic now looks on track to claim another title in Melbourne. He'll next face Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Marta Kostyuk believes an easy draw is an important factor at a Grand Slam
Kostyuk defeated Maria Timofeeva 6-2, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, her very first at a Major. The Ukrainian was quizzed about various topics during a press conference after that and eventually, the conversation moved around to how an easy draw is a factor too.
The luck of the draw can shape a player's chances of a deep run and Kostyuk referred to Emma Raducanu's US Open run in 2021. The Brit made history when she became the first qualifier to win a Major, but didn't face any top 10 players en route to the title.
Leylah Fernandez, who finished as the runner-up, had to deal with three top-10 opponents. Kostyuk used this as an example to further her view regarding the luck of the draw.
"Every slam and every tournament is so unique and so different. We play in different conditions, different balls, different. Everything is different, opponents. Everything is different. I think a lot depends. Someone can have a very easy draw, and someone can have extremely difficult," Kostyuk said.
"I have an easiest example of when Leylah and Emma were playing the final, what draw Leylah had and what draw Emma had. Emma, no offense, but Leylah was really fighting for her life every single match," she added.
Martina Navratilova believes Iga Swiatek's new serve led to her downfall at the Australian Open
Navratilova had a few things to say following Swiatek's exit from the Australian Open. Discussing the result on Tennis Channel, the 18-time Major champion thought that Swiatek's new service motion didn't do her any favors.
Navratilova felt that her new serve lacks fluidity and urged Swiatek to tweak it as currently, it looks quite awkward as well.
"I'm not thrilled with Iga’s new serve, it looks awkward. And I just don't see that she's getting any more out of it and it just looks really uncomfortable. And she needs to get more free points, that's where she can improve the most I think, with her serve," Navratilova told Tennis Channel.
"I just don't like it, it will not repeat itself under pressure because she just kind of goes and stops. It's just not fluid at all. And when you're not fluid, when you stop, when you get nervous, you stop at different places and then you just don't get that rhythm. So I think she can tinker with that serve, go back closer to what she was like, maybe change it up a little bit but has to be fluid. It's not, it's really awkward looking," she added.
Naomi Osaka tries her hand at pickleball with Nick Kyrgios and Frances Tiafoe
Osaka's time at the 2024 Australian Open was rather short, as she was eliminated by Caroline Garcia in the first round. But the former World No. 1 still enjoyed her time in Melbourne and indulged herself in other activities too.
Osaka gave pickleball a shot and teamed up with Nick Kyrgios and Frances Tiafoe for the same.
"Ngl it felt good to be back in Australia," Osaka wrote on Instagram.
Osaka's schedule for the upcoming months isn't clear yet. Usually, she skips the Middle East swing after her time in Melbourne and heads straight to the US for the Indian Wells Open in March. It remains to be seen if she does the same yet again.