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Carlos Alcaraz opened up about his physical discomfort while competing at the Shanghai Masters. The Spaniard became the second player to complain after Jannik Sinner claimed he was fatigued during the match. In other news, Paula Badosa defended herself against racist claims.
Nick Kyrgios took another dig at Jannik Sinner and dismissed the prospect of teaming up with the Italian for a doubles match. Meanwhile, Holger Rune complained about a 'weird smell' during his Shanghai Masters clash. Also, Emma Navarro explained her decision to compete at the WTA 125 event as the race for the WTA finals in Riyadh heats up.
On that note, here's a recap of today's top tennis news:
Carlos Alcaraz reveals physical problems after his Shanghai Masters clash
Carlos Alcaraz became the second player after Jannik Sinner to complain about physical pain after his Shanghai Masters win. Both Alcaraz and Sinner are competing in Shanghai just days after their China Open exploits in Beijing.
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Speaking to the media after his second-round win, Alcaraz claimed that he faced some physical issues during the match but added that it is part and parcel of his life as a tennis player. The Spanish star added that he would deal with the pain and that he was currently feeling 'great' on the court.
"Well, I'm feeling great. Honestly, I'm feeling some pain in some part of the body, but what is normal for tennis player, you know, we have to deal with it. I'm feeling great," Carlos Alcaraz said.
Carlos Alcaraz will face either Gael Monfils or Ugo Umbert in the next round. The Spanish star is aiming for back-to-back titles in China having already won the China Open last week.
Paula Badosa defends herself against racist accusations
After her semi-final exit from the China Open, Paula Badosa's coach Paul Toledo posted a photo dump of the Spanish player. In one of the pictures, Badosa can be seen pulling back her eyelids in what many people felt was a racist gesture.
Paul Badosa was quick to defend herself against the accusations and claimed that she was just 'playing around' in front of the camera. The Spaniard added that she loves Asian people and enjoys the Asian leg of the season.
"Oh no please don't get it that way. Never thought it would get interpreted this way we weren't even imitating Asian people. I was playing around with my face and wrinkles. I love Asia one of my favorite people and have plenty of Asian friends. They are the kindest," Badosa wrote.
Nick Kyrgios takes another dig at Jannik Sinner and dismisses playing a doubles match with the Italian
Nick Kyrgios might be sidelined through injury for more than a year but the Australian doesn't fail to make headlines. Kyrgios has constantly targeted Sinner throughout the Italian's doping controversy and once again claimed he only plays with 'clean players' while dismissing a potential doubles match with the Italian.
While answering his fans' questions on Instagram, Kyrgios was asked by a fan to play a doubles match with Sinner. However, the Aussie quickly dismissed the possibility, claiming he only plays with 'clean players'.
"I only play with CLEAN players" Kyrgios posted on his Instagram story.
Nick Kyrgios has been critical of Jannik Sinner and the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) for how they've handled Sinner's doping case.
Holger Rune complains about 'weird smell' during his Shanghai Masters win against Matteo Berrettini
Holger Rune complained about a weird smell and talked about his mother's smoking habit during a bizarre exchange with the chair umpire during his Shanghai Masters outing against Matteo Berrettini. The Dane mounted a memorable comeback win against his Italian opponent to kickstart his Shanghai Masters tournament with a bang.
During his match, Rune complained about a particular smell coming from the AC ducts. The Danish star even jokingly suggested that he knows the smell quite well due to his mother's habit of smoking.
"What smell?" the chair umpire was heard asking Rune.
"It’s just around here. I’m used to a smoking mom," Holger Rune said, laughing.
After defeating Berrettini, Rune will face Jiri Lehecka in the third round at the Shanghai Masters.
Emma Navarro defends her decision to compete at the Hong Kong 125 tournament
Emma Navarro and Qinwen Zheng are locked in the fight for a place at the WTA Finals. The two tennis stars are separated by just over 100 points in their race for a place at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. Navarro is currently seventh with 3568 points while Zheng is eighth with 3460 points.
Navarro's decision to compete at the Hong Kong 150 tournament came under scrutiny by the tennis community given her top-10 ranking. However, the American explained that her points from the Hong Kong tournament would not be considered due to the WTA rules. Navarro further added that she just needed match practice after her early exit from the China Open.
"No. The points in Hong Kong actually didn't even count towards the race to the Finals. It was more just I was going to have a week and a half of training after I lost in Beijing, which is a long time to just be training. I wanted to go and try to stay match-ready," Emma Navarro explained.
Emma Navarro is set to compete at the last WTA 1000 tournament of the year in Wuhan before competing at the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
