Tennis News Today: Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni denounces harassment towards Jannik Sinner amid doping controversy; Elena Rybakina trains with new coach at US Open days after Stefano Vukov split

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni spoke out against the vilification of Jannik Sinner amid the Italian's doping controversy. In other news, Elena Rybakina was spotted practicing for her US Open campaign with a new coach days after Stefano Vukov split.

Meanwhile, Maria Sakkari was reduced to tears following her injury-induced retirement in the US Open first-round match. Belinda Bencic enjoyed quality time with her four-month-old daughter Bella on "girls' night out." Also, Novak Djokovic was backed for a successful US Open run by tennis journalist Jon Wertheim.

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

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Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni slams abuse toward Jannik Sinner amid doping scandal

Jannik Sinner at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships (Source: Getty Images)

Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni expressed his disapproval of the harsh criticism aimed at Jannik Sinner, despite the Italian being cleared of any wrongdoing in the doping controversy.

News broke earlier this week that Sinner had twice tested positive for the steroid Clostebol in March but avoided suspension after appeals, with the ITIA attributing the contamination to his physiotherapist. Though exonerated, Sinner and his team faced intense criticism, including accusations of favoritism.

Toni Nadal addressed the misplaced hostility towards Sinner, suggesting that the focus should be on the excessive suspensions in previous cases.

"It really strikes me that certain media outlets, far from being displeased by the disproportionate punishments on other occasions, now demand a similar punishment for the current World No. 1. People who, without complete knowledge of each case, are always willing to give their opinion, judge and, above all, condemn others is still surprising," Toni Nadal said in his column in El Pais. (Translated from Spanish)

"It amazes me much more that it is from within the tennis circuit itself. I do not understand that they're some of his own colleagues, tennis players who, without a doubt, have trained with him or have faced him as a rival and who are perfectly aware of the relentless monitoring that the World Anti-Doping Agency does of all of them," Toni Nadal added.

Jannik Sinner is currently in New York for his US Open campaign, where the top-seeded Italian will take on home favorite Mackenzie McDonald in the first round on August 27.

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Elena Rybakina spotted training with new coach at the US Open, days after Stefano Vukov split

Elena Rybakina was spotted training with a new coach as she prepares for her 2024 US Open run, following her recent split from longtime coach Stefano Vukov. Under Vukov’s guidance, Rybakina secured her first Major at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and reached a career-high WTA ranking of No. 3.

Watch the video here:

Fourth seed Elena Rybakina will take on Destanee Aiava in the first round of the US Open on August 27. A victory for the Kazakh will see her take on either Jessika Ponchet or Zheng Saisai.

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Maria Sakkari in tears as injury forces her to retire in US Open 1R

Maria Sakkari was reduced to tears as a shoulder injury forced her to retire after losing the first set 2-6 in her US Open first-round match against Wang Yafan. This is the Greek's second successive opening-round exit at the New York Major.

Checkout the picture here:

Sakkari has had a disappointing Grand Slam run in 2024, having previously suffered an opening-round exit at the French Open and a second-round elimination at Wimbledon. Her best performance was reaching the third round at the Australian Open.

After Sakkari's retirement, Wang Yafan will next take on Diane Parry in the second round of the US Open. The 21-year-old Frenchwoman won her very first match at the New York Major after beating Wang Xiyu 7-6(2), 7-6(5).

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Belinda Bencic enjoys a fun "girls night out" with daughter Bella

Belinda Bencic enjoyed a fun "girls' night out" with her four-month-old daughter, Bella. Bencic shared an Instagram photo showing her in a floral white dress, pushing Bella in a pram during a family stroll.

"Girls night out (floral emoji)," Belinda Bencic captioned her post.

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Tennis journalist forecasts successful US Open run for Novak Djokovic

Tennis journalist John Wertheim drew parallels between Novak Djokovic’s performance and American tennis icon Jimmy Connors at the age of 39.

During the 1991 US Open, Connors made a remarkable comeback after undergoing surgery for a wrist injury, reaching the semifinals before being eliminated by Jim Courier in straight sets.

Similarly, Djokovic underwent knee surgery following his withdrawal from the French Open, after which he reached the Wimbledon final and won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

In a recent interview with Tennis Channel, Wertheim suggested that spectators might witness a face-off between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open final.

“Do you guys remember when Jimmy Connors made his run at 39 years old, and geritol and bananas... Djokovic is 37 plus. He is the defending champion. He is number 2 with the oddsmakers. He just won the Olympic gold medal, it's not for sentimentality reasons that he is Number 2, and if we get another Alcaraz-Djokovic final, I think a lot of people will be okay with that,” Werthiem said.

Second seed Novak Djokovic kicked off his New York campaign with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Radu Albot to reach the second round where he will take on compatriot Laslo Djere. Third seed Carlos Alcaraz, on the other hand, will face Li Tu in the first round on August 27.