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American tennis star Coco Gauff's father Corey spoke out against criticism of his daughter's Paris Olympics flag-bearer appointment. In other news, Aryna Sabalenka enjoyed the melody of her new "theme song" with her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis.
Meanwhile, the Polish Olympic Committee President expressed confusion over Hubert Hurkacz’s late withdrawal from the Paris Olympics. Chris Evert agreed with Martina Navratilova’s criticism of a tennis documentary series for misrepresenting players.
Also, Naomi Osaka opened up about her objectives for the Paris Olympics.
On that note, here's a recap of today's top tennis news:
Aryna Sabalenka delight in her new theme song alongside boyfriend Georgios Frangulis
Aryna Sabalenka savored the melody of her new theme song, 'Tiger' by djKDS, while on a drive with her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis.
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Sabalenka has been spending quality time with Frangulis during her recovery from a shoulder injury, which made her miss Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics.
Watch the video here:
"Think I might have a new theme song... 😏🐯💜," she posted on her Instagram story.
Aryna Sabalenka will be making her return on the WTA tour at the Mubadala Citi DC Open (July 29 - August 4).
Coco Gauff’s father hits back at critics for questioning her role as Olympic flag bearer for USA
Coco Gauff's father Corey stood up for his daughter's selection as Team USA's flag-bearer for the 2024 Paris Olympics after some tennis fans objected. Gauff, the youngest athlete and first tennis player to receive this honor, will march alongside NBA star LeBron James in the opening ceremony.
However, some fans doubted Coco Gauff’s suitability as the flag bearer and suggested that Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles were more deserving. Corey Gauff responded by pointing out that other American athletes had voted for his daughter, indicating the respect she has earned.
"The 538 athletes voted and selected her... So that's respect from her peers ... learn before posting," he wrote.
Polish Olympics committee president puzzled by Hubert Hurkacz's Paris withdrawal
The Polish tennis team for the Paris Olympics took a significant hit as Hubert Hurkacz pulled out due to a knee injury sustained during the second round of Wimbledon.
Polish Olympic Committee's President, Radosław Piesiewicz, shared his thoughts on Hurkacz's decision to withdraw.
"We were counting on Hubert flying to the Olympics, getting his act together. We were in constant contact with the Polish Tennis Association. The message was that everything was going well and Hubert would be healthy. Yesterday, what happened happened. I called the manager right away. We talked, I made her realize how important it was for Hubert to be there. I was waiting for a return call with a decision. I never got it," he said (via TVP Sport).
"It's (Hubert Hurkacz) and his team's decision. I respect it, but I don't understand it. Polish sport and Polish fans lose out on this. This is a huge loss. We keep our fingers crossed for Hubert to recover as soon as possible and fight for Slams, not medals anymore," he added.
Hubert Hurkacz was scheduled to pair with WTA No. 1 Iga Swiatek in mixed doubles. Hurkacz's men's doubles partner Jan Zielinski will now miss the Olympics entirely.
Tennis legend Chris Evert joins Martina Navratilova in criticizing tennis documentary's player portrayals
Chris Evert humorously agreed with Martina Navratilova's criticism of errors in the tennis documentary "Gods of Tennis." The series, featuring Evert, Navratilova, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, and Arthur Ashe, recently released a promo photo on X (formerly Twitter).
Navratilova noted that the photo incorrectly showed her playing right-handed and Evert left-handed, opposite to reality.
"Hope the show (Gods of Tennis) is better than this promo photo as they have Chris playing left handed and me playing right handed," Navratilova wrote on X.
Evert jokingly expressed horror at her altered serving pose.
"Omg, that is not good... my serving pose looks like yours! yikes!" Evert wrote in reply to Navratilova.
Naomi Osaka highlights her objectives for the Paris Olympics
Naomi Osaka shared a ‘Get ready with me’ video on her social media, revealing her off-court objectives for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Osaka said that the first objective was to get a souvenir for her daughter Shai and the second was to obtain a Haitian pin, as a homage to her roots.
The former World No. 1 emphasized her determination to get the pin, stating she would "bargain, hassle, stop" a Haitian athlete or wait outside the Haitian building if necessary.
"And then two, this is honestly one but Shai is one, I am going to bargain, hassle, stop anybody that has a Haitian pin and I am going to beg them for it or I am going to park myself outside of the Haitian building. I might go in, I don’t know, and ask ‘Can I please have a Haitian pin?’," she said.
Watch the video here:
Naomi Osaka previously participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she lost in the third round to the silver medalist Marketa Vondrousova.
