'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
American tennis star Coco Gauff shared how she's outpacing her boyfriend in their book-reading challenge. In other news, Frances Tiafoe cited personal reasons behind his withdrawal from the US Olympic team for Paris 2024.
Meanwhile, Bianca Andreescu expresses her amusement at the coincidence of having the identical pre-match meal as Jessica Pegula, Sebastian Korda, and Tommy Paul. Liam Broady stood up for Jack Draper and his father amid nepotism accusations.
Also, Carlos Alcaraz hilariously attempted to get rid of a bee with his racket during Queen’s Club's second-round loss against Jack Draper.
On that note, here's a recap of today's top tennis news:
Coco Gauff reveals the secret to beating boyfriend in book reading challenge
This year, Coco Gauff set a goal to read 24 books in 12 months and has already finished 12. Originally, 12 was her entire target, but upon learning of her boyfriend's goal of completing 24 books, her competitive spirit drove her to match it.
Trending
Speaking to the press at the ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin, Gauff shared that she is currently two books ahead of her boyfriend.
"[The reading challenge] started because I loved reading as a kid and I kind of lost it when I got older. So at first my goal was to read 12 books, one per month. Then my boyfriend has this thing where he reads the amount of books as the year we're in, so 24 in 2024, 23 in 2023," Coco Gauff said.
"So when he said he was going to read 24, I got super competitive and I doubled my goal to match his and I like trying to finish faster than him. I'm two books ahead, so I'm winning right now," she added.
Top-seed Coco Gauff defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(6), 6-2 in the second round to advance to the last eight where she will face Ons Jabeur on June 21. In her doubles campaign with compatriot Jessica Pegula, Gauff lost 6-4, 6-0 to Czech duo Katerina Siniakova and Linda Noskova in the Round of 16.
Frances Tiafoe opts out of US Olympics tennis team for Paris 2024 citing personal reasons
Frances Tiafoe and Madison Keys were among the prominent players missing from the United States Tennis Association's final roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In a conversation with tennis journalist James Gray, Tiafoe explained that he is focusing on the North American hardcourt season instead of the Olympics. He believes that competing in Paris is less important than his goals in North America, especially with the US Open in sight.
"It's insignificant to what I'm trying to do going through to the US Open. I love my country, but I think I gotta think about myself," Frances Tiafoe said.
Frances Tiafoe recently picked up a hip injury after suffering a nasty fall during his first-round loss against Rinki Hijikata at the Queen's Club Championships.
The US tennis team includes WTA stars like Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro, Desirae Krawczyk, and ATP stars such as Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Chris Eubanks, Marcos Giron, Rajeev Ram, and Austin Krajicek.
Bianca Andreescu hilariously reacts to fellow tennis stars having the same boring pre-match meal as her
Bianca Andreescu found it amusing when she discovered that Jessica Pegula, Sebastian Korda, and Tommy Paul all eat the same pre-match meal as she does. In a promotional video for the 2024 Libema Open in 's-Hertogenbosch, the four players revealed that their go-to pre-match meal is chicken and rice.
The Canadian tennis star found the coincidence funny and posted the video on her Instagram with two laughing emojis.
"😂 😂 "
Bianca Andreescu and Sebastian Korda came up short in their final matches against Liudmila Samsonova and Alex de Minaur respectively. Jessica Pegula exited early, losing in the second round to Aleksandra Krunic, while Tommy Paul made it to the last eight before being defeated by Korda.
Liam Broady defends Jack Draper and his father against nepotism claims
Liam Broady defended fellow Brit Jack Draper against accusations of benefitting from nepotism after the latter won his maiden ATP title at the Boss Open in Stuttgart, which also made him the British No. 1.
An X (formerly Twitter) user questioned Draper’s merit, claiming his success was due to his wealthy father, Roger Draper, who was CEO of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) from 2006 to 2013.
Broady refuted the allegation, stating that Draper earned his achievements through hard work, not just his father's support.
"Who were the youngsters that were more talented than Jack growing up? As far as I’m aware Jack was one of very the best in his age group from an early age. Doesn’t sit right with me this tweet as he can’t help what his Dad has, works harder than anybody and is incredibly humble," Broady wrote.
The critic also claimed the LTA mismanaged funds and ignored talented players from low-income backgrounds, forcing them to quit the sport. While Broady agreed with the criticism about neglecting underprivileged players, he insisted it was unfair to single out the new British No. 1.
"I’m not sure about this Pavvy (the journalist) as I’m a players rep for the British men this year. I also train at the national tennis centre. I’m not disagreeing with the point of letting down players from low income backgrounds at all btw, but it’s not right to use Jack to make the point," Broady replied.
Liam Broady made his latest appearance on the ATP tour at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he lost in the second round of qualifiers. Jack Draper, on the other hand, defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3), 6-3 to advance to the Queen's Club Championships quarterfinals, where he will face fifth seed Tommy Paul.
Carlos Alcaraz hilariously tries to fend off a bee in Queen’s Club 2R
Carlos Alcaraz had to deal with a bee that interrupted play during his second-round loss to Jack Draper at the Queen's Club Championships. In a video posted on X, the Spanish tennis star was seen swatting away the bee in annoyance. Alcaraz eventually managed to remove the bee from the court.
Watch the video here:
This was the Spaniard's second bee encounter this year, following a similar incident during his quarterfinal match against Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells, where a swarm disrupted play and he was stung.
