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Novak Djokovic was described as 'nasty' by his former hitting partner. Meanwhile, Martina Navratilova gave her opinion on the rapid rise of Mirra Andreeva.
In other news, Serena Williams' former coach asked for stricter sanctions for ball abuse by tennis players. Also, Andy Murray looked back at his physical condition from 12 months ago.
On that note, here are today's top tennis news:
Novak Djokovic's former hitting partner calls him 'nasty'
Novak Djokovic's former hitting partner, Jules Marie, opened up about working with the Serb, criticising him for displaying poor behaviour on practice courts. In an Instagram video, Marie narrated his experiences of working with the 24-time Grand Slam champion during the 2021 French Open and described him as "nasty"
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"When I was a sparring partner at Roland Garros, I played five times with Djokovic, and he was nasty all five times," Marie claimed (via the Daily Express).
Martina Navratilova opens up about Mirra Andreeva's rapid rise to fame
Martina Navratilova gave her thoughts on Mirra Andreeva's rapid rise to fame, lauding the teenager, who recently triumphed in Indian Wells.
Navratilova gave a special interview before the start of the Miami Open, where Andreeva is chasing the 'Sunshine Double'. During the interview, Navratilova touched up Andreeva's recent form and compared her style to Carlos Alcaraz.
"She’s got all the bases covered, reminds me of Alcaraz. She has no weakness, moves well, and turns defense into offense. She’s got all the weapons, nice touch as well, and really good technique," Martina Navratilova said.
Read more: Martina Navratilova gives reasons for why Mirra Andreeva reminds her of Carlos Alcaraz
Serena Williams' former coach asks for stricter punishments for ball abuse
Serena Williams' former coach, Rennae Stubbs recently criticized Iga Swiatek for hitting the ball out of the court. The Polish star almost hit the ball boy after angrily slamming the ball towards her box, during her Indian Wells clash against Mirra Andreeva.
"I do not like to see that. I do not like to see the way Iga, who has also said sorry in her post. But we've got to do a bit. I think that we, the tennis administration's, establishments need to make some blanket rules that if you hit balls into the crowd or out of the stadium or things like that, you lose a game or you lose something enormous," Navratilova said (14:00).
Andy Murray reacts to his feat from 12 months ago
Andy Murray gave an honest reaction to his current physical condition and compared it to his 12 months ago. The former Brit star shared a post from his performance at the Miami Open 2024.
Murray, who is currently working in Novak Djokovic's coaching team, reposted a video from the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) on his Instagram story from his best points from the Miami Open last year. He posted a funny caption comparing his physical condition then and now:
"If you saw me moving today you wouldn't believe this was only 12 months ago 🤣".
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