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Tennis icon Venus Williams was seen walking hand-in-hand with actor-director Andre Preti during a New York outing. In other news, Novak Djokovic received an apology from the sports network for displaying the wrong flag following the Serb's Paris Olympics victory.
Meanwhile, Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert advocated for reinstating ranking points in the Olympics following Novak Djokovic's triumph. Denis Shapovalov opened up about the "stressful" Mubadala Citi DC Open disqualification.
On that note, here's a recap of today's top tennis news:
Venus Williams and actor-director Andre Preti spotted hand-in-hand in New York
Venus Williams and actor-director Andrea Preti were spotted taking a leisurely walk in New York City.
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During their outing, Preti opted for a casual look with a black T-shirt and grey sweatpants, while Williams donned a white tank top and green shorts, accessorizing with a matching jacket.
Checkout the pictures here:
Tennis legend Novak Djokovic gets apology from sports network for flag error following Paris Olympic victory
Sports network Eurosport has issued an apology to Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic for mistakenly displaying a Croatian flag next to his name following his gold medal win against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, with scores of 7-6(3), 7-6(2), at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The mistake occurred when Eurosport posted on social media celebrating Djokovic’s triumph, inadvertently using a Croatian flag emoticon next to the Serbian athlete’s name.
"We deeply regret the mistake that was made when choosing a flag emoticon to post on a social network and sincerely apologize. Once again, we congratulate Novak on a truly historic moment for him and his country,” Eurosport said (via Express).
Andre Agassi's ex-coach Brad Gilbert demands reinstatement of ranking points in Olympic tennis
Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert has advocated for the return of Olympic ranking points following Novak Djokovic's 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal win.
Tennis Channel analyst Jon Wertheim observed that despite adding the title to his career tally, Djokovic received no ranking points or prize money.
"So Djokovic gets no ranking points (and of course $0) for winning olympic gold. But he *is* credited with a pro title, his 99th, closing the gap on Federer and Connors," Wertheim wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Gilbert expressed his disapproval of this policy and recommended granting 1500 points to champions in both singles and doubles categories.
"Absolutely ridiculous no points should be 1500 points to winners in singles and doubles, used to have points, I believe was 750 to the winner," Gilbert wrote.
Denis Shapovalov speaks out about Citi Open disqualification
Denis Shapovalov has broken his silence on the controversial disqualification from his quarterfinal match against eventual runner-up Ben Shelton at the Mubadala Citi DC Open.
During the second set, Shapovalov reacted angrily to an unforced error, throwing his racket and shouting at a heckler, leading to an unsportsmanlike conduct violation from the chair umpire. The supervisor subsequently disqualified him, awarding the match to Shelton.
This decision meant Shapovalov would lose all ranking points and prize money from the tournament and face a $36,400 fine. However, he successfully appealed the decision, retaining his ranking points and prize money.
In a social media post, Shapovalov thanked his supporters and expressed shock at the disqualification.
"Dear fans, I would like to thank you for standing by my side through these last few days. As you can imagine it's been an extremely stressful time for me. I continue to feel shocked and disappointed over the decision to disqualify me from my match against Ben in Washington," Denis Shapovalov wrote on X.
"It was not fair to me, him or anyone that was there to watch the match. I of course immediately submitted my appeal to the ATP and I am pleased and thankful with the quick decision to reinstate my points and prize money," he added.
Shapovalov is currently participating in the National Bank Open in Montreal. The Candian tennis star, along with partner Vasek Pospisil, began his campaign with a 4-6, 3-6 loss against Italian sixth seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the first round.
Denis Shapovalov will now take on American Brandon Nakashima in the singles first round.
Venus Williams and Father Richard recall one match that 7-time Grand Slam champion "should have won"
