Tennis News Today: Novak Djokovic makes honest admission about his children; Aryna Sabalenka & Elina Svitolina's handshake saga continues at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic has opened up about the demanding nature of being a professional athlete. In an interview conducted for Nick Kyrgios' podcast earlier this year, the Serb admitted to missing his children a lot more than before as he spends a lot of time away from them due to his schedule.
Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina gave it their all in an entertaining fourth-round match at the Italian Open. However, the two didn't engage in the customary post-match handshake at the net, as the Ukrainian still refuses to do so against Belarusian and Russian players.
Jannik Sinner, the season's most in-form player, is likely to miss the upcoming French Open due to injury concerns. Giulia Pairone, an Italian tennis player, has accused her long-time coach of sexual violence and harassment.
Serena Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian, gushed over their daughter Olympia's artistic side as he showed off her tie-dye creations. Here's a breakdown of the day's biggest headlines:
Novak Djokovic admits to life on the road being difficult without his kids
A professional athlete spends a lot of time away from his family in order to make it big. It has been the same for Djokovic but lately, he has been missing his kids more and more. He has two children with his wife Jelena, son Stefan and daughter Tara.
Djokovic sat down for a quick chat with Nick Kyrgios earlier this year at the Australian Open for his podcast, "Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios". The interview was recently released, in which the Serb stated that while he's still driven to achieve more accolades in tennis, he is also prioritizing other aspects of his life now that he has a family of his own.
"The little Novak, the four-year-old Novak, who started playing tennis in Kopaonik in Serbia, is still inside and still in love with the sport and is still so hungry for more. Right? But at the same time, there's probably this more mature Novak, father and a husband, that is, 'Come on, man. There are other things in life as well'," Djokovic told Kyrgios.
While Djokovic's children do accompany him from time to time, that's not often the case. Given that he usually makes it deep in most of the tournaments, he doesn't get to see them for a long time.
"I really miss my children as we speak now. They are back in Europe, and I haven't seen them for weeks. If I do well here, I will not see them for another two, three weeks, who knows? And that's hurting me more and more, leaving them," Djokovic added.
Djokovic recently lost to Alejandro Tabilo in the third round of the Italian Open. He will now head to the French Open without having won a title this year.
Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina maintain their distance after a thrilling showdown at the Italian Open
With the Russia-Ukraine crisis far from being resolved, the geopolitical ramifications of it are also felt on tennis courts. Elina Svitolina and other Ukrainian players have refused to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian players since the onset of the turmoil.
Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka gave it their all during their thrilling fourth-round duel at the Italian Open on Monday, which the latter won 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7). While the two didn't shake hands at the net, they did briefly acknowledge each other as they locked eyes for a moment.
This was in stark contrast to what happened during their previous encounter at last year's French Open. Sabalenka defeated Svitolina in the quarterfinals and was awaiting her at the net, who went straight to the umpire, which resulted in the crowd booing her. There was a mutual understanding between them this time around.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, will continue her Italian Open campaign against Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Svitolina, on the other hand, will head to France for the Strasbourg Open.
Jannik Sinner likely to miss the French Open as a precautionary measure
Jannik Sinner's strong start to the season has been undercut by an injury. The clay swing hasn't gone as per his plans. He sustained a hip injury and withdrew prior to his quarterfinal clash against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Madrid Open. The injury forced him to skip his hometown event, the Italian Open, as well.
According to a recent report by Gazzetta, Sinner might not recover in time for the French Open. He's currently being treated at the J|Medical in Turin, which provides athletes with top-class medical care. His team will make the final decision after he is discharged.
Doctors have advised him to exercise the utmost caution as Sinner is at risk of further aggravating the injury if he returns too soon. However, the Italian has always chosen to listen to his body and has skipped tournaments in the past to recover completely. Given his history, it's quite likely that he won't make the trip to Paris if he's not fully fit.
Alexis Ohanian proudly showcases his daughter Olympia's artsy endeavors
Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian recently took to social media to showcase their daughter Olympia's artistic side. The doting father indulged in some quality time with her as the two got their hands dirty making some tie-dye shirts.
Ohanian showed their efforts on X (formerly Twitter) and was impressed by Olympia's creations.
"And suddenly I became the guy who does tie-dye with his fam (how good is the rainbow one @OlympiaOhanian made??)," Ohanian tweeted along with the picture.
Ohanian and Williams' first daughter Olympia was born in September 2017. The latter had famously won the Australian Open that year while being pregnant. They had their second daughter, Adira River, in August 2023.
Italian player Giulia Pairone accuses her coach of sexual violence and mistreatment
Tennis player Giulia Pairone has accused her long-time coach Ivano Ronaldo of sexual harassment and violence. She stated that he subjected her to multiple restrictions, such as not having a boyfriend and going out with her friends. She further added that he would touch her inappropriately during tournaments.
"He would pick me up at home to go to training and then he would take me back. He stopped for dinner. He also showed up at my house on Sundays. He manipulated me by telling me: I do everything for you. It was during tournaments abroad, when we were in the room alone, that he would touch my breasts and butt," Pairone said.
Pairone opened up about her ordeal in an interview to Sack the Stigma, and hoped for more reforms in order to prevent such incidents in the future.
"There are a lot of things that need to be changed in sports. I hope one day nobody has to go through what I’ve gone through and what so many others have gone through," Pairone said.
Pairone's last match as a professional was back in 2018 at an ITF tournament in Torino. She peaked at No. 666 in singles and No. 1130 in doubles.