Tennis Trending Pop Moments Today: Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian whips up Smurfette pancake for daughter Olympia; Coco Gauff's ex-coach disapproves of ATP, WTA Finals' group-naming choice, and more

S Shahi
Serena Williams and family (L), Coco Gauff and Brad Gilbert (R) (Image source: Getty)
Serena Williams and family (L), Coco Gauff and Brad Gilbert (R) (Image source: Getty)

Tennis icon Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian created a Smurfette pancake for their daughter Olympia in an adorable breakfast moment. In other tennis-related news, Coco Gauff's former coach Brad Gilbert expressed disagreement with the ATP and WTA Finals' new group-naming format.

Meanwhile, Martina Navratilova questioned the absence of crowd shots during the WTA Finals broadcast in Saudi Arabia. Tennis legend Chris Evert reacted to Billie Jean King celebrating the 49th anniversary of the former's WTA World No. 1 debut.

On that note, here's a recap of today's trending pop moments in tennis:


Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian delights daughter Olympia with a homemade Smurfette pancake

Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian shared that his daughter Olympia remarked that he resembled Brawny Smurf, sparking inspiration for a new pancake creation.

The Reddit co-founder crafted a Smurfette pancake and another with Olympia's name, sharing photos and a video of the fun breakfast on social media with the caption:

"🥞 @olympiaohanian said I reminded her of Brawny Smurf today and it made my week. #PapaPancakes"

Read More: Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian discloses daughter Olympia's adorable remark as he crafts Smurfette pancake for her


Martina Navratilova raises concerns over lack of crowd visibility in Saudi Arabia’s WTA Finals broadcast

Martina Navratilova questioned the lack of crowd shots during the broadcast of the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Navratilova, a vocal critic of the event’s move to Saudi Arabia due to human rights concerns, previously joined Chris Evert in urging the WTA to reconsider hosting in the region.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Navratilova asked why the broadcast wasn’t showing the audience.

"Finding it really weird not ever seeing the crowd when showing matches- not during the match and not at all after the match. Just odd….#WTAFinalsRiyadh," Navratilova wrote.

Read More: Martina Navratilova questions "not ever seeing the crowd" during WTA Finals broadcast after initially opposing event's shift to Riyadh


Tennis legend Chris Evert responds to Billie Jean King celebrating the 49th anniversary of the former's World No. 1 debut

Chris Evert replied to Billie Jean King's commendation on the former's 49th anniversary of becoming the first WTA World No. 1. Over her career, Evert held the No. 1 spot for 260 weeks. The WTA introduced its official ranking system in 1975, with Evert as its first top-ranked player.

King posted a congratulatory message on X to honor Evert's historic accomplishment, to which the latter replied by retweeting the message and adding several heart emojis.

Read More: Chris Evert reacts to Billie Jean King recognizing her accomplishment on 49th anniversary of her historic WTA World No. 1 debut


Coco Gauff's ex-coach Brad Gilbert takes issue with ATP and WTA Finals’ group naming decision

Coco Gauff's former coach Brad Gilbert voiced his frustration over the ATP and WTA Finals’ decision to use colors for group names.

In the ongoing 2024 WTA Finals, singles players Aryna Sabalenka, Zheng Qinwen, Elena Rybakina, and Jasmine Paolini are placed in the Purple group, while Iga Swiatek, Barbora Krejcikova, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula compete in the Orange group. The doubles teams are divided into Green and White groups.

Gilbert took to X to suggest that player groups should be named after tennis legends instead.

"I don’t get why @atptour @WTA name the groups for year-end championships for colors. In Saudi Arabia we are going the purple and orange groups, so beyond obvious to name the groups after former great players," he wrote.

Third seed Coco Gauff kicked off her Riyadh campaign with a 6-3, 6-2 win over compatriot and sixth seed Jessica Pegula in the first round robin. The American tennis star will take on second seed Iga Swiatek in the second-robin round on November 5. Irrespective of the result, the World No. 3 is going to face eighth seed Barbora Krejcikova in the last group stage match on November 7.

Read More: Coco Gauff's ex-coach Brad Gilbert voices displeasure about ATP, WTA Finals' group-naming decision; proposes alternative

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Edited by Tushhita Barua
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