Tennis News Today: Paula Badosa opens up about facing Aryna Sabalenka in Miami Open 2R following Belarusian's ex-boyfriend's death; Novak Djokovic continues to poke fun at ATP amid 2024 trophy drought

Paula Badosa talked about facing her close friend Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 Miami Open second round following Belarusian's ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov's death, while Novak Djokovic playfully teased ATP over his trophy drought in the 2024 season.

Meanwhile, Martina Navratilova, Alexander Bublik, Daria Kasatkina, and others paid their respects to the victims of the Moscow terror attack. Also, Gael Monfils praised his wife Elina Svitolina for her role as a mother following the Frenchman's first-round victory at the 2024 Miami Open.

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

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Paula Badosa opens up about facing Aryna Sabalenka in Miami Open 2R following Belarusian's ex-boyfriend's death

Paula Badosa spoke about the difficulty of playing against her close friend Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 Miami Open, especially in light of the recent death of the Belarusian's ex-boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov.

Despite the tragedy, Sabalenka participated in the tournament and won her second-round match against Badosa 6-4, 6-3. In a post-match press conference after the defeat, Badosa reflected on the challenging experience of competing against her best friend amidst such a tragic situation.

"Well, I wouldn't call it 'special' because it wasn't very comfortable to play my best friend in this situation," Badosa said.

The Spaniard praised the mental strength she and Sabalenka showed in the match amidst emotional chaos.

"Well, honestly, both of us are pretty strong mentally. We're strong women. She proved it. I proved it. We knew how to disconnect in that two hours, one hours and a half of match," Badosa said.

"She played really well. I played really well for where I'm coming from. I think it was quite decent. That all comes from because we know we've been through a lot in our lives, we're strong woman, and we know how to separate that in that moment," she added.

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Novak Djokovic continues to tease ATP amid 2024 trophy drought

Novak Djokovic jokingly implied that his displays in the 2024 season weren't up to the mark due to a change in ATP’s scriptwriters. Despite his usual dominance, Djokovic has yet to win a title this season, leading him to quip about the role of script changes in his losses.

In a recent tweet, Djokovic humorously alluded to an ATP skit released earlier in the year, portraying the tennis tour as a scripted reality series, featuring a fictional character named 'Bert Critchley' playing Djokovic's role. Djokovic suggested that the change in scriptwriters might explain his unexpected setbacks this season.

"For Bert Critchley, it’s all about winning… and then you brought the new script writer," Djokovic wrote.

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Martina Navratilova, Alexander Bublik, Daria Kasatkina & others mourn victims of the Moscow terror attack

Martina Navratilova, Alexander Bublik, Daria Kasatkina, and other players expressed their condolences on social media for the victims of the recent terrorist attack in Moscow.

The attack occurred at the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of Moscow on Friday, March 22, resulting in at least 133 fatalities and 140 injuries (via BBC).

The 18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova conveyed her sympathy to the grieving families on X (formerly Twitter).

"This is just tragic- so sorry about this!!!" Navratilova wrote.

Many Russian-born tennis players such as Alexander Bublik, Veronika Kudermetova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Anastasia Potapova, Daria Kasatkina and her girlfriend and professional figure skater Natalia Zabiiako, and Anna Kalinskaya took to Instagram to express their condolences to the victims by posting emojis of candles and broken hearts.

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Gael Monfils expresses admiration for wife Elina Svitolina after the 2024 Miami Open 1R victory

Gael Monfils praised his wife Elina Svitolina at the 2024 Miami Open for her role as a mother.

Monfils defeated Serbia's Dusan Lajovic 7-6(5), 6-4 in the first round on Thursday, March 21. After the match, Monfils spoke about Svitolina's comeback to tennis after giving birth to their daughter Skai in October 2022.

"People want to put tennis first but I think she [Elina Svitolina] is a great mother first. This is the most important for me as her husband because of course we are a tennis couple but life is beyond our sport," Monfils said.

Despite taking a break, Svitolina returned to the court and finished 2023 ranked World No. 25 after notable performances, including winning the Internationaux de Strasbourg and reaching the quarterfinals at the French Open and semifinals at the Wimbledon Championships.

Monfils reflected on Svitolina's journey during his press conference.

"I'm surprised how well she came back, how strong she is mentally and physically. It's just amazing," Monfils said.

In the Miami Open, Svitolina was seeded 15th and received a bye into the second round, where she lost to Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-7(5). Monfils, on the other hand, will face 33rd seed Jordan Thompson in the second round.