Tennis News Today: Rafael Nadal's coach finds fault with Spaniard's "scruffy" retirement; Serena Williams makes daughter Olympia cry with homework trick

Novak Djokovic was seen enjoying himself on social media during the off-season, showing his fans a different side of himself. Venus Williams was seen at the beach, with her outfit garnering a lot of attention.

In other news, former tennis player Andrea Petkovic gave her views on the early days of the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry. On the other hand, Carlos Moya was critical of the retirement ceremony given to Rafael Nadal at the Davis Cup.

Let's look at the top stories from the tennis world

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Novak Djokovic shows off a funny side to his fans during the off-season

After a tumultuous season, Novak Djokovic was seen in high spirits. The Serb took to TikTok and uploaded a hilarious video of himself. The former World No. 1 was seen wearing heavy winter gear and nicknaming himself "Snovak."

"Snovak Djokovic" ready for Winter"

The Serb was in Paris, enjoying his time off-court. He was also spotted at the inauguration of a new campus of PSG, the football team. Djokovic has always been a devoted fan of the game.

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Venus Williams grabs attention with a beautiful beach outfit

Former World No.1 Venus Williams was recently seen enjoying her time away from the court on a beach. In a video uploaded on Instagram, Williams was seen wearing a white shirt with grey shorts.

The American player was spotted in a great mood, as she showed off her dancing skills to her fans.

"Bringing the beach vibes☀️✨ #DancingWithVenus"

On court, the American icon only played a handful of matches earlier this year, at Indian Wells and Miami.

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Former German tennis player gives her views on early days of the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry

The rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is one of the most celebrated and iconic contests. Fans of both players have always been jubilant about the two great players embroiled in classic contests over the years.

However, according to former German tennis player Andrea Petkovic, Federer's fans were not that amicable towards Rafael Nadal in the early days. The Spaniard disrupted the Swiss player's dominance on the court, much to his fans' dismay.

"Nowadays, people forget how much adversity Rafa faced from audiences," Andrea Petkovic wrote. "People loved [Roger Federer] and could not fathom a challenger as dangerous as this boy from Manacor whose whipped forehand opened the tennis court in ways thought geometrically impossible."

Overall, the rivalry ended with the Spaniard being ahead, winning 24 of the 40 encounters he had with the Swiss great.

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Rafael Nadal's coach finds fault with Spaniard's scruffy retirement

Rafael Nadal brought the curtains down on his illustrious career at the 2024 Davis Cup. However, the way the Spaniard bid farewell from the sport drew criticism from a lot of sections of the tennis community.

Nadal's former coach Carlos Moya openly slammed the retirement as "scruffy and shabby." He believed the ceremony wasn't on par with Nadal's stature in the tennis world after years of excellence on the court.

"It's not the time to blame anyone... But the feeling we're all left with is a bit scruffy and shabby... It's true that it's a Tuesday night, but this is sport, and it was known months in advance that if Spain lost, Rafa would retire. Nadal is far above all this...It has been a farewell that has not lived up to what Rafa Nadal means to the sport," said Moya

With the absence of star players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal along with Spain's loss to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, the common consensus was Nadal's farewell lost the shine and glamour it deserved.

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Serena Williams tricks her daughter into doing homework

Former World No. 1 Serena Willimas shared a fun-filled day with her daughters. Williams, under the guise of playing a game with her daughters, tricked her older daughter Olympia into doing her homework. She shared a video of the same on her social media handles, writing:

"I wanted to give Olympia a special day. She did cry when she pulled the homework card, but the day got better. enjoy this post in TikTok:https://tiktok.com/t/ZP8LpXNSn/", said Williams on X, formerly Twitter

The 23-time Major champion often shares her daily moments with her daughters on social media along with her husband Alex Ohanian.