Tennis News Today: Lulu Sun shares emotional moment with family after defeating Emma Raducanu in Wimbledon 4R; Novak Djokovic reveals daughter Tara as inspiration behind his violin celebration at SW19

Novak Djokovic opened up about daughter Tara's influence on his violin celebration at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. In other news, Lulu Sun shared an emotional moment with her mother and sister after defeating Emma Raducanu to reach her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal’s baby son gets a sweet piggyback from his dad in Greece. Novak Djokovic warned of the serious challenge that endangers tennis’ future outside Grand Slams.

Also, Madison Keys left the court in tears after being forced to retire mid-match due to injury during the fourth-round match against Jasmine Paolini at SW19.

On that note, here's a recap of today's top tennis news:

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Lulu Sun overwhelmed with emotion after defeating Emma Raducanu in Wimbledon 4R

Lulu Sun shared an emotional moment with family after beating home favorite Emma Raducanu 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to reach her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinals as a qualifier at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.

After the victory, Sun, visibly emotional, celebrated with her mother and elder sister, Phenomena Radovcic, a fellow professional tennis player, both of whom were by her side in the player's box on Centre Court.

Watch the video here:

New Zealand No. 1 Lulu Sun will now take on Donna Vekic in the quarterfinals on July 9.

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Novak Djokovic credits daughter Tara for inspiring his Wimbledon violin celebration

Novak Djokovic shared that his daughter Tara inspired his new violin celebration at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Following his third-round 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) victory over Alexei Popyrin, Djokovic was seen mimicking playing a violin in celebration.

In an interview with Serbian media later, Djokovic explained that he did it in honor of his five-year-old daughter, who recently began learning to play the violin.

“That was for Tara. My [daughter] has been playing violin for some time already, six months, and we agreed that I would celebrate that way," Novak Djokovic said at a press conference.

Second seed Novak Djokovic will now face 15th seed Holger Rune in the Round of 16 on July 8.

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Rafael Nadal’s baby son enjoys a sweet ride on his dad’s back

Rafael Nadal and his son had a fun time together as he carried Rafa Jr. on his back in Greece. Nadal had been training at his namesake Tennis Center in Sani, Greece ahead of his comeback to the court at the Nordea Open in Bastad and ultimately the Summer Olympics in Paris.

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Novak Djokovic expresses the bitter reality that threatens tennis’ survival beyond Grand Slams

Novak Djokovic has voiced concerns about tennis' future, warning that the sport could lag behind padel and pickleball if it doesn't become more accessible. There's an ongoing debate about five-set matches in men's tennis Majors, seen as complex for casual viewers.

While the Serb defended the traditional five-set format for men's Grand Slam matches, he emphasized the need for innovation to ensure tennis's sustainability. He highlighted the sport's high costs as a significant barrier.

"Tennis is a very global sport and it's loved by millions of children that pick up a racquet and want to play. But we don't make it accessible. We don't make it so affordable. Especially in countries like mine that doesn't have a strong federation, that has Grand Slam or history or big budgets," the Serb said.

"I think collectively we all have to come together and understand how to maintain the sport's, let's say, foundation or create a new foundation, a cornerstone of really what tennis is about, which is the base level, right, the club level," he added.

Novak Djokovic cautioned that without making tennis more affordable and accessible, padel and pickleball could surpass tennis in popularity over time.

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Madison Keys retires in tears due to injury during Wimbledon 4R

Madison Keys had to retire due to an injury during her fourth-round match against Jasmine Paolini at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.

Keys lost the first set 3-6 but made a strong comeback to win the second set in a tiebreaker, 7-6(6). Keys led 5-2 in the third set before pulling a muscle in her left leg. The American took a medical timeout at 5-4 that lasted over 10 minutes.

Upon returning to the court, she was visibly in agony, losing her serve to even the score at 5-5. In tears and attempting to play on, Keys finally signaled to the chair umpire at 15-15 that she could no longer continue, retiring from the match and leaving the court immediately.

Watch the video here:

Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini reached her second Grand Slam singles quarterfinals, where she will face 19th seed Emma Navarro on July 9.