Tennis News Today: Iga Swiatek gushes over 'amazing' meeting with 'legends' Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf; Rafael Nadal makes unexpected appearance in 'Emily in Paris' season 4
The latest season of the hit Netflix show, 'Emily in Paris', was released on August 15, with Rafael Nadal being in the spotlight for a little while in it. Five-time Major champion Iga Swiatek was over the moon following her encounter with tennis power couple Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi.
Naomi Osaka teased her upcoming custom kit for the US Open, which she feels is the best-ever designed by Nike for her. Stefanos Tsitsipas looked back on an important incident with his father which changed his perspective on life.
Martina Navratilova and her wife Julia Lemigova adopted two boys, and the news was celebrated by one and all. Boris Becker was among those to congratulate the couple.
Here's a quick rundown of the day's headlines:
Iga Swiatek delighted following her meeting with Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf at the Cincinnati Open
Swiatek, who is currently participating in the Cincinnati Open, began her campaign with a 6-0, 6-7 (8), 6-2 win over Varvara Gracheva. However, she was more overjoyed with an off-court adventure.
Swiatek brushed shoulders with tennis superstars Agassi and Graf at the tournament and was left starstruck after the meeting. She took to social media to share a picture of their encounter, with a tongue-in-cheek caption in which she referred to herself as a "random girl" with legends.
"Look at this. Just two legends and a random girl in the middle. Kinda amazing. 😍" - Swiatek posted on X.
Circling back to her on-court journey, Swiatek will next take on 15th seed Marta Kostyuk in the third round of the Cincinnati Open. The Pole was a semifinalist here last year, and is gunning to reach her first final at the venue.
Rafael Nadal gets a shoutout in Netflix's hit series, Emily in Paris
22-time Major champion Nadal found himself in the spotlight courtesy of the latest season of the Netflix series, Emily in Paris. The show revolves around the titular character Emily, played by Lily Collins, a marketing executive who is in the French capital for work.
The fourth season premiered on August 15. With the show being set in Paris, it was inevitable that the grounds of Roland Garros would end up in focus at some point. This happens in the first episode of the latest season, around the 19:00 minute mark.
A montage of the French Open is shown, along with Nadal's statue at the venue, and the Spaniard himself is mentioned. The 38-year-old is currently on a break following the conclusion of his Olympic campaign, and will next be seen in action at the Laver Cup.
Naomi Osaka hypes up her US Open 2024 outfit
Osaka recently received a main draw wildcard to participate in the upcoming US Open, a tournament she has won twice in the past. She's feeling quite pumped about it, especially about her outfit for the event. Nike designs custom kits for the four-time Major champion.
Osaka took to Instagram to share that the Nike designers have outdone themselves this time, and can't wait for everyone to see her kit for the US Open.
"My US Open outfit is about to be the best outfit I’ve ever worn and I’m so excited," Osaka wrote on Threads and shared on her Instagram story.
Osaka's prep for the season's final Major has been underwhelming. She lost to Elise Mertens in the second round of the Canadian Open, and went down to Ashlyn Krueger in the qualifying round of the Cincinnati Open. Her previous appearance at the US Open was in 2022, and she fell at the first hurdle.
Stefanos Tsitsipas re-assesses the impact of a "life-changing" incident in which his father saved his life
Tsitsipas was recently a guest on the 2nd Serve Podcast, during which he reflected upon a life-altering incident that shaped his outlook. Back in 2015, he and his friend went swimming in Crete while they were there for a tennis tournament.
The young boys underestimated the strength of the currents, and found themselves in trouble until Tsitsipas' father dived in to save them. He credits that experience with shaping his formative years while growing up.
"I have actually forgotten about that incident, it's a long time ago now. At that time it was life-changing when it happened and it gave me a different perspective of life, of my career, of my everyday purpose," Tsitsipas said.
"It was a very eye opening experience, which made me stronger for sure. I felt like it had a bigger impact on me than any loss or any negative emotion that I felt in the past," he continued.
Tsitsipas is currently preparing for the US Open, and it hasn't gone according to his plans. He left the Canadian Open without winning a match and lost to Jack Draper in the second round of the Cincinnati Open despite winning the first set. He has a 6-6 record at the US Open and hasn't been past the third round.
Boris Becker congratulates Martina Navratilova and wife Julia Lemigova on becoming parents
Navratilova and Lemigova are officially parents after the couple adopted two boys, as announced by their agent on August 14. The former has become a first-time parent, while the latter has two daughters from a previous relationship.
A host of well-wishers congratulated the duo on expanding their family, with Navaratilova's former colleague Becker being one of them. The German took to social media to react to the same, calling it the "best news".
"By far the best news of today!!! Congratulations to Martina & Julia!" Becker wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Navratilova and Lemigova's relationship dates back to 2006, with the pair getting married in December 2014. The 18-time Major champion's battle with cancer concluded in 2023, and she emerged safe and sound from the ordeal. She wasn't sure of having children back then but with her health issues sorted, the couple decided to embrace parenthood.