Tennis News Today: Steffi Graf shares Pickleball Slam 2 preparation challenges, Aryna Sabalenka withdraws from Qatar Open for 2nd consecutive year

22-time Major champion Steffi Graf has spilled the beans on how she's gearing up for the upcoming Pickleball Slam 2. Reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka has pulled out of the season's first WTA 1000 event, the Qatar Open.

Nick Kyrgios' girlfriend Costeen Hatzi gave fans a peek into one of their recent date nights, in which the two took pottery lessons together. The official ATP account on Instagram took part in an ongoing trend, which features photos of people when they were 21 years old.

Carlos Alcaraz, who's still 20 years old, was naturally amiss from ATP's selection of players for it. The Spaniard was quick to joke about it and asked them for a redo after his birthday in May.

Here's a quick recap of the day's headlines:

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Steffi Graf opens up about the challenges she faced while gearing up for the Pickleball Slam 2

The Pickleball Slam 2 will be held on February 4, 2024, and will pit Graf and her husband, Andre Agassi, against John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova. The German spoke up about the difficulties she faced ahead of the highly anticipated showdown.

Graf explained that she's still trying to adapt to the sport and it's difficult for her to give up her tennis mindset.

"Goodness, I’m still trying to unlearn [tennis]. I have not had an easy time. I want to move around. I want to hit the ball. I don’t want to slow down and be patient, waiting for the right moment to attack," Graf told Sports Illustrated.

"I tend to want to keep my feet moving. That’s what I learned in tennis. My mind knows what I should be doing, but my body is not quite ready to let that tennis mind go," she added.

Graf also stated that while she wants to enjoy the feeling of competitiveness, she doesn't want to go overboard with it.

"I have a bit of a hard time getting back into that [competitive] mode. I want to enjoy it. I love the challenge of it. I do like the competition, but I also don’t want to get too competitive," she said.

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World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka to skip the Qatar Open

Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 Australian Open.

Following a successful title defense at the Australian Open, Sabalenka was scheduled to compete in the Qatar Open. However, she has now withdrawn from the tournament. This marks the second year in a row that she won't be making the trip to the country.

Sabalenka had a shot at taking over the World No. 1 ranking if she played there. Provided if Iga Swiatek loses early at the Qatar Open, she'll still have a chance at ascending to the top spot with a good run at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

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Nick Kyrgios' girlfriend Costeen Hatzi offers a glimpse into their date night

Kyrgios is still on an injury hiatus, but he's making the most of his downtime. He worked as a commentator during the recently concluded Australian Open. With his new gig all wrapped up, he was seen spending some quality time with his partner.

Costeen Hatzi, his girlfriend, shared some pictures of the two bonding over a date night while taking some pottery lessons.

Costeen Hatzi's Instagram stories.

Kyrgios and Hatzi, an interior designer and influencer, have been in a relationship for over two years now. The two began dating in December 2021 and have remained steady ever since.

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Carlos Alcaraz jokingly asks the ATP to redo an Instagram trend with him after his birthday

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 Australian Open.

The latest trend on Instagram has been the rage for quite some time now, which requires people to post throwback pictures of themselves when they were 21 years old. The official ATP account on the site decided to hop on to the bandwagon as well.

The likes of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev, among others, all found themselves included in a post made by the ATP on their social media account but Alcaraz was excluded from it as he's still 20 years old.

The Spaniard jokingly asked the ATP to do the whole thing once again in May after he turns 21, and the latter were up for the same.

"Please, Let's do it in may, when I'm turn 21 😂" - Alcaraz on Instgram.

"@carlitosalcaraz oh for sure 🙌🏻" - the ATP's response to Alcaraz.

Carlos Alcaraz's comment on the ATP's Instagram post.

Alcaraz is now gearing up to defend his title at the Argentina Open. starting from February 12. He'll then compete in the Rio Open the following week, after which he'll have to defend his title at the Indian Wells Masters.