Tennis News Today: Andre Agassi & Steffi Graf's daughter Jaz cheers on her mother at Pickleball Slam 2; Novak Djokovic's coach quashes claims of Serb not being healthy during Australian Open loss
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf competed in the Pickleball Slam 2 on Sunday (February 4), and their daughter Jaz was the one who cheered the loudest for them. Novak Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic has refuted all allegations of the World No. 1 not being fully fit during his loss to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open.
Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian bonded with their youngest daughter Adira River by watching a Premier League match between Arsenal and Liverpool. Elena Rybakina took some time off to visit the Ferrari World with her sister before she kicked off her campaign at the Abu Dhabi Open.
Here's a brief rundown of the day's newsmakers:
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf's daughter Jaz is her mother's biggest cheerleader at the Pickleball Slam 2
Agassi and Graf participated in the Pickleball Slam 2 on Sunday. They were joined by Jack Sock and the trio faced off against John McEnroe, Maria Sharapova, and James Blake.
Agassi and Graf's daughter Jaz was also present at the event and was rooting for them from the sidelines and capturing it all on film as well. The evening kicked off with Agassi and Sock besting McEnroe and Blake 11-7, 9-11, 11-8 in the first match.
Graf and Sock joined forces for the next tie, with the two edging past Sharapova and Blake 9-11, 11-8, 17-15. This being the German's first competitive match of any sort in a while, Jaz was extra vocal about her mother's victory.
"Let's go momma!," Jaz posted on her Instagram story.
"Dub city," she posted
The evening concluded with Agassi and Graf's 11-7, 13-11 victory over McEnroe and Sharapova to win the second edition of the Pickleball Slam.
Novak Djokovic's coach has brushed off claims of the Serb's ill-health behind his Australian Open loss
Djokovic's title defense at the Australian Open came to an end in the semifinals against Jannik Sinner, who dealt him a 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 loss. It snapped the 36-year-old's 33-match winning streak at the venue as well.
Djokovic's injury was rumored to be a part of his downfall in Melbourne, but his coach Goran Ivanisevic has brushed off those claims in a chat with Sportklub. He set the record straight and stated that the World No. 1's winning ways had to end someday, and he simply got outfoxed by Sinner in the semifinal.
"Sooner or later he had to lose, we were all aware of that. It's just a shame that it happened this way, but against Sinner if you're not 100%, you have nothing to ask for," Ivanisevic said.
"And even when you're at 100%, you can still lose. However, the whole Australian Open was somehow not right for Novak, from the first round onwards. Well, let's move on, it's nothing that tragic," he continued.
"No, nothing bothered him, he was healthy, but it just didn't work out. ... It can happen to him too. He is flesh and blood. On the other hand, if he should have lost to someone, then I'm glad it was Sinner," Ivanisevic added.
Djokovic will next be seen at the Indian Wells Masters starting in March. It'll be his first appearance at the tournament since 2019. He's a five-time champion at the venue, with his last title coming in 2016.
Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian and daughter Adira River bond over a Premier League match
Williams' husband Ohanian spent some quality time together with their youngest daughter Adira River. The two checked out the Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal.
"Currently," Alexis Ohanian wrote on X.
After being questioned if they supported Arsenal, Ohanian clarified that he was just trying to get to know the workings of the Premier League
"Lol neither of us are Arsenal supporters. I'm just trying to learn about Premiere League football and @ACMomento told me this was on," Ohanian wrote.
Ohanian's first daughter, Olympia, is also a soccer fan, and it looks like he could be trying to get his youngest child to follow in her sibling's footsteps.
Elena Rybakina takes a tour of the Ferrari World with sister Anna
Rybakina is currently in the Middle East for the Abu Dhabi Open and is the top seed at the event. However, she did take some time off before the tournament to do a little sightseeing and visit the Ferrari World with her sister Anna.
The Ferrari World, situated on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, is a famous adventure theme park. The Rybakina siblings explored it in great detail, and the tournament organizers and the WTA took to Instagram to showcase their time at the theme park.
"The @mubadalaabudhabiopen No.1 seed is in the building 🏎️ @lenarybakina checked out @ferrariworldyasisland, home of the world’s fastest rollercoaster 🎢" - the post was captioned.
The two tried out various joyrides at the park, while the World No. 5 also interacted with the fans who recognized her. As far as tennis goes, Rybakina has received a first-round bye at the tournament. She'll face the winner of the clash between Naomi Osaka and Danielle Collins.