Tennis News Today: Aryna Sabalenka & boyfriend Georgios Frangulis cherish their moments together; Rafael Nadal & wife Maria revel in romantic sunset in Greece
While his contemporaries are battling it out at Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal is busy preparing for the upcoming Olympics. However, he's also enjoying some downtime as he was spotted on a romantic date night with his wife Maria Francisca Perello in Greece.
Aryna Sabalenka's Wimbledon campaign was over before it even began as she had to withdraw from the tournament due to an injury. She has spent the last few days recovering with her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis by her side.
Morgan Riddle cleared the air about her comment which was apparently aimed at Alexander Zverev following her boyfriend Taylor Fritz's win over him at Wimbledon. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner was knocked out of the grass court Major by Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.
The Italian's health issues didn't allow him to play his best tennis, and he elaborated on those following his loss. Here's a quick rundown of some of the day's biggest headlines:
Rafael Nadal enjoys an idyllic vacation with wife Maria Francisca Perello
Nadal has been out of action since his first-round exit from the French Open. He opted to skip Wimbledon in order to prepare for the Olympics. While he continues to train for the latter event, he's also making sure to enjoy his time off from the sport.
The Spaniard along with his wife were spotted vacationing in Greece. Nadal took to social media to share some of his most cherished moments from the holiday. The couple can be seen posing as the sun sets by the beach, and the former World No. 1 even displayed his cooking skills in a video.
"Today, on the day of rest… Rice Broth (Mallorca style) for team and family," Nadal wrote ( Translated from Spanish).
Nadal will return to the tour next week at the Nordea Open in Sweden, which will be held from July 15-21. Aside from participating in singles, he's also set to team up with Casper Ruud for doubles.
Aryna Sabalenka continues to recover from her injury with boyfriend Georgios Frangulis by her side
Sabalenka was one of the fittest players on the tour as she hardly missed any tournaments due to a significant injury. However, that run of good health came to an end during this grass swing. She retired midway through her match in Berlin due to a shoulder injury.
While Sabalenka tried her best to get back in fighting shape before Wimbledon, it wasn't meant to be. She withdrew hours before her first-round match. While she's disappointed to miss a Grand Slam, the Belarusian's boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, has been her pillar of strength during these trying times.
Sabalenka took to Instagram to share glimpses of how she's recovering, including some moments with her boyfriend.
"Recovering in more ways than one," she wrote.
The reigning Australian Open champion is expected to return to action for the Citi Open, which will run from July 29 to August 4. Though if she hasn't recovered by then, one can expect her to participate in the Canadian Open, which takes place a week later.
Taylor Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle clarifies about her alleged jibe at Alexander Zverev
Fritz staged an epic comeback from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev in five sets and reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the second time. His girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, seemed to have made some remarks in a since-deleted post aimed at the German while celebrating the win.
"cheer loud ladies"
"when ur man wins 4 the girls."
Both of these comments could be interpreted as a reference to Zverev's private life as the latter was accused of alleged domestic violence by his ex-girlfriend. The matter was recently concluded after both parties agreed to an off-court settlement.
Riddle soon issued a clarification about the same, and stated the the comments were simply blown out of proportion.
"Regarding my stories yesterday... I took them down as soon as I realized the misunderstanding and how blown out of proportion they had become by the media. they were not about anything that's happened off the tennis court & there's no bad blood between anyone," Morgan Riddle wrote in her Instagram Story.
As for Fritz, he will take on Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, July 10. Both players are gunning to reach their maiden Major semifinal. The winner could potentially be up against Novak Djokovic after that.
Jannik Sinner attributes his Wimbledon quarterfinal loss to Daniil Medvedev to physical issues
World No. 1 Sinner suffered his fourth loss of the season as he went down to Medvedev in five sets during their quarterfinal clash at SW19. The Italian was one of the leading contenders to win the title, and has won his last five matches against the Russian as well.
However, Sinner shed light on the reason behind his defeat during his post-match conference. While he gave full credit to Medvedev for playing some amazing tennis, he wasn't in top shape even before the match. He felt fatigued since the morning, and even took a lengthy medical time-out during the match.
"This morning I already didn’t feel great. I had some problems and then with the fatigue. It was tough. Nothing to take away from Daniil. I think he played very smart, good tennis. That’s it. I went off the court. I actually didn’t want to go off. The physio told me it was better to take some time because he watched me and I didn’t seem in shape to play. I was struggling physically. It wasn’t an easy moment. I tried to fight with what I had today. That’s it," Sinner said
Sinner is on the entry list for next week's Nordea Open, though if he continues to remain unwell, he could withdraw from the tournament.