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Novak Djokovic's father Srdjan reportedly hospitalized after suffering a fall at home in Belgrade. In other news, Andrey Rublev referenced Rafael Nadal during an argument with the chair umpire in his third-round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the 2024 Madrid Open.
Meanwhile, Roger Federer's wife served as an inspiration for Zendaya's character in 'Challengers' movie. Amanda Anisimova and Emma Raducanu explored the streets of Madrid following their respective first-round exit at the city's WTA 1000 tournament.
On that note, here's a recap of today's top tennis news:
Novak Djokovic's father Srdjan reportedly rushed to hospital after suffering fall
According to reports, Novak Djokovic's father Srdjan was rushed to the hospital after suffering a bad fall while feeding his birds at home in Belgrade. It is speculated that the fall might have caused a fracture in his upper arm.
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Upon learning of the incident, Djokovic and his brother Marko promptly rushed to join him at the hospital. Currently undergoing treatment, Srdjan Djokovic's expected duration of hospitalization has not been confirmed by doctors, as per Sportal's report.
Andrey Rublev name-drops Rafael Nadal during dispute with umpire at Madrid Open
Andrey Rublev cited Rafael Nadal's experience to dispute a line call during his third-round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the 2024 Madrid Open.
In the first set, a call went against Fokina, which was later clarified as an in-call. Despite Rublev's return shot going out, the point was awarded to Davidovich Fokina. Rublev then challenged the call, but the umpire deemed it too late. The Russian argued that the linesperson's call preceded his shot, suggesting a replay of the point, referencing a similar incident involving Nadal in a prior match.
"It's the same thing that happened with Rafa yesterday! Exactly the same! [From now on I think] we need only machine on court instead of referees. I know I bring the ball out, but he call before I shoot," Rublev said.
Rublev expressed frustration and advocated for Electronic Line Calling over human referees. The umpire disagreed, maintaining that Rublev's shot came after the line call.
The crowd sided with Davidovich Fokina and started booing Rublev. Despite the dispute, Rublev went on to win the match 7-6(10), 6-4 to advance to the Round of 16 where he will face 24th seed Tallon Griekspoor.
Zendaya's character in 'Challengers' movie drew inspiration from Roger Federer's wife Mirka
Justin Kuritzkes, the screenwriter of the movie ‘Challengers’, revealed that Roger Federer's wife Mirka inspired Zendaya’s character in the film. The film, which was released on April 26, features Zendaya as Tashi, a former tennis player who turned coach for her husband after she was forced to retire due to injury.
Kuritzkes revealed that he was struck by Mirka's apparent stress during her husband's loss to Novak Djokovic in the 2019 Wimbledon final. This led Kuritzkes to uncover Mirka's background as a tennis player whose career was cut short due to injury.
"She looked so stressed out, every point. I was watching her and just thinking, ‘Why are you so stressed out? You guys have all the money in the world. You've won 20 grand slams. What's so stressful to you? It has to be something else,'" he said in an interview with GQ.
Kuritzkes explained that Mirka's journey, from being a promising player sidelined by injury to managing Federer's career, influenced Tashi's character arc in the film.
Emma Raducanu & Amanda Anisimova explore Madrid after respective losses
Amanda Anisimova and Emma Raducanu went sightseeing in Madrid after both losing early in the WTA 1000 tournament. Anisimova lost 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) to Emiliana Arango, while, Raducanu was defeated 6-2, 6-2 by Maria Lourdes Carle in the first round.
Anisimova posted photos of her exploring the sights with Raducanu in Madrid, on Instagram.
"Explorin' Madrid with @emmaraducanu," Anisimova wrote on Instagram.
Raducanu then joked that they were having fun while other players were still competing.
"Thru [through] the trenches," the Brit wrote in a comment.
"lmao," Amanda Anisimova replied.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
