Tennis news today: Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina withdraws from next week's Hamburg Open, World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev begins training for the hardcourt season | 16 July 2022
Still riding high from winning her maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last week, Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the upcoming Hamburg Open. Daniil Medvedev is putting in the hours for the upcoming hardcourt season, where he has a lot of points and big titles to defend.
Anett Kontaveit is set to compete at the Hamburg Open and the Prague Open afterwards. Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova has announced the birth of her first child, a baby boy. Naomi Osaka is back in Tokyo and enjoyed a fun day out in the city.
Here's a round-up of the day's news:
Elena Rybakina leads an exodus of player withdrawals from the Hamburg Open
The upcoming Hamburg Open lost a bit of star power as reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina pulled out of the tournament. But she isn't the only one to do so.
Along with the Kazakh, 2022 Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins, Qinwen Zheng, Clara Tauson, Anhelina Kalinina and Marta Kostyuk have also withdrawn.
Daniil Medvedev gears up for the upcoming hardcourt swing
World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev is training hard for the hardcourt season, which is about to begin shortly. He's the defending champion at both the US Open and the Canadian Open.
With a lot of points to defend over the next couple of months, his top spot in the rankings is under threat.
"Tough summer days with the team," Medvedev captioned a post on Instagram.
Medvedev will return to action at the Los Cabos Open, which will be held from August 1-6.
Anett Kontaveit to compete at the Hamburg Open and the Prague Open
After a successful second half of 2021, Anett Kontaveit continued her red-hot form at the start of the 2022 season as well. However, since contracting COVID-19 in April, her results have taken a huge hit. She hasn't won back-to-back matches in her last four tournaments.
Kontaveit has now taken one last wildcard to compete in the Hamburg Open. She'll also participate in the Prague Open after that. With a ton of points to defend in the coming months, the Estonian is in dire need of some match wins.
Maria Sharapova announces the birth of her first child
Retired tennis pro Maria Sharapova took to Instagram to reveal that she has given birth to her first child, a baby boy, with fiance Alexander Gilkes. She earlier announced her pregnancy in April. They've named the child Theodore.
"Theodore VII•I•MMXXII 🍼🐣 The most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding gift our little family could ask for." - Sharapova on Instagram
Well wishes poured in for the happy couple from friends and fans alike, and both Sharapova and the baby are said to be in good health.
Naomi Osaka enjoys a day out in rainy Tokyo
A little rain didn't stop four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka from enjoying her time in Tokyo. Since landing in the Japanese capital a couple of days ago, she has been out and about exploring the city and visiting some of its most famous haunts.
As far as tennis is concerned, Osaka skipped the grass season due to an Achilles injury. She's on the entry list for the upcoming National Bank Open, which will be held in Toronto from August 6-14.