Tennis News Today: Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian discloses "frustrating" negotiation behind their engagement; Coco Gauff opens up on using "pettiness" to deal with fan criticism
Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian spoke about an argument with his wife over their daughter Olympia's weekly allowance while Emma Raducanu could add Yutaka Nakamura to her coaching team. Also, Daria Kasatkina admitted her disappointment at Barbora Krejcikova getting a WTA Finals spot.
In other news, Coco Gauff revealed how she used 'pettiness' to deal with fan expectations. Martina Navratilova called for the Democratic Party to back a declaration regarding trans exclusion in women's sports.
On that note, here are today's top tennis news:
Alexis Ohanian discloses an argument with Serena Williams regarding their daughter Olympia's weekly allowance
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian argued over their daughter's weekly allowance. The business tycoon hilariously disclosed how the negotiations took place with Williams playing as a lawyer for their 7-year-old daughter.
Speaking on the Spolitics podcast with Jemele Hill, Ohanian revealed that he had prepared a contract to decide his daughter's weekly allowance. The 41-year-old further added that Williams led the negotiation for her daughter and acted as Olympia's 'counsel'.
"For Olympia, she gets $7 a week; she has her chores. I probably got like $1-2 - I gotta ask my dad – for all my chores. And then when I first proposed, Serena was like, ‘that’s not enough. She’s playing both sides. Serena was her (Olympia’s) lawyer in the negotiation. But I drew up a contract, we negotiated it; her mom was her counsel which was really frustrating but it’s okay," Ohanian added.
Read more: "When I first proposed, Serena Williams was like, 'that's not enough'"- Husband Alexis Ohanian on "frustrating" negotiation involving daughter Olympia
Emma Raducanu set to make an addition to her coaching team
British tennis star Emma Raducanu could be set to add more members to her team. The former US Open winner is set to add Yutaka Nakamura as a fitness trainer to her team.
Nakamura has vast experience working with the best players in the world. The Japanese fitness trainer has worked with Maria Sharapova and Noami Osaka.
Raducanu has struggled with injuries and match fitness since winning the US Open three years ago. According to the Daily Telegraph, the 22-year-old is in talks with the strength and conditioning coach.
"Emma Raducanu is looking at hiring Yutaka Nakamura, the fitness trainer who worked with Sharapova for 8 years, and then Osaka among others. Will be a statement of intent if she goes ahead."
Read more: Emma Raducanu set to make major decision involving Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka's ex-team member: Reports
Daria Kasatkina expresses her disappointment over Barbora Krejcikova getting a WTA Finals spot over her
Daria Kasatkina has expressed her disappointment over Barbora Krejcikova stealing her final WTA Finals spot. Krejcikova qualified for the event despite being ranked lower than Kasatkina, thanks to her Wimbledon triumph.
According to the WTA qualifying rule, the top seven spots go to the top seven highest-ranked players before the tournament while the eighth spot goes to the eight-highest-ranked player or a player who has won a Major and is ranked between 8-20 in the rankings.
Hence, Krejcikova, who was 12th in the WTA Race rankings, qualified ahead of Emma Navarro and Daria Kasatkina, who were eighth and ninth, respectively.
Kasatkina travelled to Riyadh for the WTA Finals as a replacement and played just one match after Jessica Pegula withdrew due to an injury. After her tournament was over, the Russian opened up about her disappointment in the rankings system for the WTA Finals.
"In my opinion, the WTA Race is the WTA Race. So it's about the how many points you earn during the year. If you win a Grand Slam, you already got what you achieved. You won the Grand Slam, points, money, glory, everything. Here it's the WTA Race. So I think in this scenario, it has to go by points," Daria Kasatkina said.
Read more: After loss to Iga Swiatek, Daria Kasatkina issues strong criticism about Barbora Krejcikova seemingly stealing the spot at WTA Finals 2024
Coco Gauff reveals how 'pettiness' helped her overcome fan expectations
Coco Gauff has revealed that pettiness has helped her deal with criticism and fan expectations. The American ace is currently enjoying a great tournament at the WTA Finals having made the final of the tournament.
Speaking after her defeat in the last round-robin match, Gauff claimed that the motivation to prove people wrong helps her move forward. The American star further added that her pettiness towards her critics has helped her get desired results in the final tournament of the season.
"I think, for me, I think honestly, pettiness. Yeah, I think, that's really the answer. I don't win all the time, but, specifically today, I got a lot of comments about how I was going to lose badly today. So I was just like, 'Okay, we'll see'. And obviously, I don't know. So yeah, I think it's honestly just liking the idea of just proving people wrong and letting your racket do the talking," Gauff said.
Read more: Coco Gauff addresses pressure of expectations and fan criticism as she loses WTA Finals match; reveals using "pettiness" to clap back
Martina Navratilova speaks out about how the Democratic Party could protect women in sports
Former World No. 1 Martian Navratilova has urged the Democratic Party to help protect women in sports. The American star, who openly advocated for Kamala Harris during the Presidential elections, has been vocal about women's rights and has spoken against the trans inclusion in women's game.
Navratilova shared a declaration regarding women's rights on her Twitter page and called for the Democratic Party to get behind it. The declaration includes various points such as single-sex spaces including restrooms and locker rooms, and the omission of trans people who identify themselves as women.
"Dems need to get behind this. And fast," Navratilova posted.
Read more: Martina Navratilova points out where Kamala Harris and Democrats seemingly went wrong after persistent calls for trans exclusion in women's sports