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Alexander Zverev lost his composure when questioned about his domestic abuse trial after a tiring match at the 2024 Australian Open and Danielle Collins shared unexpected news following her exit from the Melbourne Major.
Emma Raducanu discussed feeling nauseous during her second-round match Down Under, while No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina faced a surprising early exit from the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.
On that note, here's a quick recap of the day's biggest headlines:
Alexander Zverev snaps after being asked about domestic abuse trial following 4h31m Australian Open match
World No. 6 Alexander Zverev faced a tough challenge at the 2024 Australian Open on Thursday (January 18), going the distance in a five-set battle against Slovak qualifier Lukas Klein.
The German staged a comeback to secure victory with a scoreline of 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(7) in a match that lasted for four-and-a-half hours on Margaret Court Arena.
Zverev participated in a press conference afterwards where he faced inquiries about his upcoming trial in May regarding domestic abuse allegations made by his ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea. He criticized the journalist in frustration for raising such a question immediately after he had just completed a demanding match.
"Wow. That's a question. I just played four hours, 40 minutes. That's not the first question I really want to hear, to be honest. I've got no idea. It's in May," Zverev said.
Danielle Collins shares news of her retirement after heartbreaking Australian Open loss
Former Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins experienced a heartbreaking defeat in the tournament's second round, succumbing to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The match extended to three sets, concluding with the Pole emerging victorious with a scoreline of 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Following that, Collins told the media that the 2024 season would mark her final one on the WTA Tour, although she didn't specify an exact date. She also mentioned that having kids is a priority for her, among other considerations.
"This is going to be my last season competing. I don't really know exactly when, but this will be my last season and I'm really looking forward to that," the American said.
"I have other things that I'd kind of like to accomplish in my life outside of tennis, and would like to be able to kind of have the time to be able to do that. Obviously having kids is a big priority for me," she added.
Emma Raducanu provides insights into physical challenges during Australian Open 2R loss
Emma Raducanu demonstrated great resilience in her second-round match at the 2024 Australian Open against Wang Yafan. Despite initially trailing by a set and a break, Raducanu staged a strong comeback, forcing the match into a decisive set.
However, Raducanu started facing discomfort after that, clutching her chest and abdomen and calling a trainer two games in. After a brief medical timeout, the Brit resumed play but couldn't overturn the match, leading Wang to secure a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
Raducanu later revealed to the media that she felt nauseous and was throwing up in her mouth during the battle.
"Yeah, now I feel a little bit better. I had some time. During the match, I'd say, like, third set I was 30-Love up serving. Then all of a sudden just felt so sick, just really like weak and nauseous," the former US Open champion said.
"Throughout the third set I think everyone could see it was a bit of a battle. Like physically, body-wise, I felt fine. It was more I was throwing up in my mouth. Then after the match, it came out. Now I'm okay. Yeah, I'll get over it. It just sucks with the timing," she added.
Unseeded Anna Blinkova upsets former Australian Open finalist Elena Rybakina
2023 Australian Open finalist Elena Rybakina suffered a shocking second-round exit at the 2024 edition of the tournament, falling to Russia's Anna Blinkova. The match was determined by a historic tiebreak, setting a record as the longest tiebreak in Grand Slam singles history, lasting for over 30 minutes.
In what is possibly the tournament's biggest upset so far, Rybakina lost the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-6(20-22) to her ex-doubles partner Blinkova at the Rod Laver Arena, having defeated Karolina Pliskova in the previous round.
