Tennis News Today: Eugenie Bouchard joins Nick Kyrgios in taking a jab at Iga Swiatek amid doping controversy; Novak Djokovic "not surprised" by Jannik Sinner's success

Eugenie Bouchard appeared to seemingly agree with Nick Kyrgios in subtly criticizing Iga Swiatek after she tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ). On the other hand, Novak Djokovic praised Jannik Sinner, remarking that he was "not surprised" by the World No.1's success.

In other news, the pharmaceutical company responsible for manufacturing the melatonin pills that led to Swiatek's positive TMZ test has finally broken its silence following the doping scandal. Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian recently agreed to a statement about providing "unconditional love" to one's children.

Meanwhile, Martina Navratilova referred to Zambian footballer Barbra Banda as a "biological male" and expressed frustration over Banda being honored with the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year award.

Here is a roundup of the latest top tennis news:

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Eugenie Bouchard took a dig at Iga Swiatek by endorsing Nick Kyrgios' sentiments about the Pole's doping controversy

Iga Swiatek speaking to the press [Image Source: Getty Images]

Iga Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine in an out-of-competition sample which was taken in August 2024, ahead of her campaign at the Cincinnati Open.

As a result of the positive test, Swiatek was provisionally suspended. She appealed to the International Tennis Integrity Association (ITIA), attributing the positive result to contamination from a regulated non-prescription melatonin medication she had been using. Iga Swiatek claimed she was unaware of the melatonin pills being contaminated.

The ITIA accepted Iga Swiatek's explanation for the presence of TMZ in her system, determining that there was no significant fault or negligence. However, she was still given a one-month suspension

Following Iga Swiatek's doping controversy, Nick Kyrgios took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express his skepticism about the validity of her claims of innocence regarding the contaminated pills.

"The excuse that we can all use is that we didn’t know. Simply didn’t know. Professionals at the highest level of sport can now just say “we didn’t know," Kyrgios wrote.

Seemingly agreeing with Kyrgios' comments, Eugenie Bouchard wrote:

“Guess so"

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Iga Swiatek's melatonin pills manufacturer breaks silence after the Pole's doping test saga

Iga Swiatek at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals [Image Source: Getty Images]

Following Iga Swiatek's doping controversy, the manufacturing company of melatonin pills which were contaminated with trimetazidine, LEK-AM, finally broke its silence on the incident.

In a statement, the company expressed sadness regarding what had transpired with Iga Swiatek and added that it would provide full support and cooperation to clear any "doubts." The company's statement read:

"Like the international public opinion and fans of Ms. Iga Swiatek, we are saddened by the situation that has befallen the best tennis player in the world. We declare full cooperation in order to clarify any doubts."

LEK-AM also added that the International Tennis Integrity Association had not approached it. The statement claimed the company was contacted by a law firm from Great Britain who wanted it to take actions that would have "violated Polish pharmaceutical law."

"ITIA did not contact us directly. We were contacted by a law firm from Great Britain, which did not indicate who it worked for. The law firm's representative expected us to take actions that violated Polish pharmaceutical law (Art. 36 g sec. 1 item 10 of the Pharmaceutical Law Act, Journal of Laws 2024, item 686), especially in terms of sending medicines to unauthorized persons."

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"I'm not surprised to see Jannik Sinner at this level today" - Novak Djokovic is all praises for the World No.1

Novak Djokovic (L) & Jannik Sinner (R) [Image Source: Getty Images]

While speaking in a recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Novak Djokovic had nothing but praise for Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic recalled hearing positive things about Sinner back when the Italian was a teenager. The 24-time Grand Slam champion mentioned that what he has been most impressed by about Jannik Sinner is his hunger to continuously improve.

"I remember Sinner when he was 14-15 years old and, even then, people spoke well of him. You could see that he would have a great career. I'm not surprised to see him at this level today. I like Jannik because he always wants to improve," Djokovic said.

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic have met eight times on the ATP Tour, with both players having claimed four victories. In 2024, they faced off twice, and both times the World No.1 emerged victorious.

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Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian endorses sentiments about providing 'unconditional love' to their children

Serena Williams with her husband Alexis Ohanian & daughter Olympia [Image Source: Getty Images]

Serena Williams' husband and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, recently echoed the sentiments of Naval Ravikant, the co-founder of AngelList, who stated that providing "unconditional love" to their children should be the top priority for parents.

Williams and Ohanian first met in May 2015, got engaged in 2016 were married in 2017. Their eldest daughter, Olympia Ohanian, was born on September 1, 2017, followed by their youngest daughter, Adira River Ohanian, who was born in August 2023.

Recently, Ravikant took to social media and stated that as parents, the most crucial responsibility is to offer "unconditional love" to their children, as it is something they cannot find elsewhere.

“Your number one job as a parent is to provide unconditional love to your kids, because it’s the one thing that they can’t get anywhere else," Ravikant wrote on X.

In response to Ravikant's post, Alexis Ohanian concurred, stating :

“Yes," Ohanian posted on X.

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Martina Navratilova labeled Barbra Banda a "biological male" after criticizing her being awarded the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year award

Martina Navratilova speaking to the press [Image Source: Getty Images]

Barbra Banda is a Zambian footballer who plays as a striker for the National Women's Soccer League club Orlando Pride. She was named the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year 2024, after being nominated alongside Aitana Bonmati, Naomi Girma, Caroline Graham Hansen, and Sophia Smith.

Martina Navratilova took to social media to express her opinion about Banda, who in 2022 was not allowed to participate in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco after reportedly testing high for testosterone levels, getting honored with the Women's Footballer of the Year.

Navratilova expressed her disapproval, saying that Banda should not be allowed to compete on women's teams or receive awards designated for females.

“Banda is not trans- Banda is an XY biological male with DSD. Should not be competing on the women’s teams and for sure should not be getting awards that belong to females," Martina Navratilova wrote on X.

In addition to Martina Navratilova's comments, author J.K. Rowling and Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies also criticized Barbra Banda being named the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year for 2024.