Tennis News Today: Simona Halep ignites feud with Jessica Pegula, Victoria Azarenka, others over her doping scandal; Jannik Sinner waves the chequered flag as VIP guest at F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Simona Halep ignited her feud with fellow WTA stars over her doping controversy. Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina completed her driver's license in Dubai during the off-season.
In other news, Jannik Sinner waved the chequered flag as a VIP guest at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Also, Katie Boulter opened up about a stalker following herself and her boyfriend Alex de Minaur during their vacation.
On that note, here are today's top tennis news:
Simona Halep ignites feud with fellow WTA stars
Simona Halep reignited her doping controversy and targeted her fellow WTA stars Victoria Azarenka, Jessica Pegula, and Caroline Garcia, who are part of the WTA player council. The Romanian requested the council for restoration of her ranking points, which was rejected.
Halep returned from her 9-month doping ban at the end of 2024. As per the rules, Halep had to start all over again from the bottom of the rankings, relying on wildcards and invitations. However, the Romanian tried to get back her old ranking points as she was ranked World No. 9 when she was banned. However, her request was rejected by the WTA Players Council.
Halep reshared a fan's story on her Instagram story.
Read more: Simona Halep throws shade at Victoria Azarenka, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula & other WTA Player Council members with latest reaction to doping saga
Elena Rybakina gets her driving license
Elena Rybakina got her driver's license during her off-season in Dubai. The Kazakh had a long-term goal of finishing her driver's test, which she finally achieved in 2024.
In the clip shared by Rybakina, the 25-year-old was seen with a 'strict teacher' but expressed her happiness at finally getting her driver's license.
"I just joined Galadari driving school and really happy to join and practice. I have a very strict instructor. But it is very nice experience and looking forward to my exam tomorrow," Rybakina said.
Read more: Elena Rybakina finally achieves her 'goal' of learning to drive, works with 'very strict' instructor to get her license in Dubai
Jannik Sinner waves the chequered flag at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Jannik Sinner waved the chequered flag as a VIP guest at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The World No. 1 was one of the many tennis stars, including Paula Badosa and Grigor Dimitrov, present at the event.
Sinner was presented with the opportunity to wave the chequered flag at the end of the race, which Lando Norris won. The Italian also posed with the F1 World Champion Max Verstappen during the event.
Read more: In Pictures: Jannik Sinner & Paula Badosa turn heads with stylish appearances at star-studded Abu Dhabi GP
Katie Boulter opens up about a stalking incident that left her shocked
Katie Boulter recently spoke about a stalking incident that she faced during her time in London. The Brit star was vacationing with her boyfriend Alex de Minaur, when the couple was followed by a stalker.
Boulter recalled the incident when she was driving to pick up her boyfriend de Minaur in London when a car followed her. The couple went for a walk at Sloane Square and the same car followed her again. Boulter claimed that she felt safe with De Minaur but being stalked wasn't a good feeling.
"People have followed me at times. I actually went to go and pick up Alex from Queens, and I had someone follow me in the car. We went to Sloane Square, got out, went for a walk around the shops and stuff and the same car was following me home. I was with Alex, so it was absolutely fine, but yeah, it wasn’t the best feeling," Boulter told The Guardian.
Read more: "It wasn't the best feeling" - Katie Boulter reveals shocking experience dealing with stalker following her & boyfriend Alex de Minaur