Tennis News Today: Novak Djokovic discusses Ben Shelton toeing line between confidence & disrespect; Serena Williams' ex-coach lauds Elena Rybakina

Novak Djokovic recently talked about how young players like Ben Shelton could sometimes fail to maintain the balance between confidence and disrespect. Taylor Fritz's girlfriend, meanwhile, cracked a joke after trying Djokovic's newly launched drink.

Serena Williams' former coach praised Elena Rybakina for her sportsmanship following her heartbreaking loss at the 2024 Australian Open. And Mirra Andreeva said that she believed Martina Hingis didn't "deserve" the crowd's hostility during the 1999 French Open final against Steffi Graf.

On that note, here's a quick recap of the day's biggest headlines:

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Novak Djokovic discusses youngsters like Ben Shelton toeing the line between confidence & disrespect

Ben Shelton (L) and Novak Djokovic pictured at the 2023 US Open

Novak Djokovic reignited his feud with Ben Shelton from the 2023 US Open by recently saying he mocked Shelton's celebration as he thought the American was being disrespectful.

Djokovic reiterated his views after winning his third-round match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the 2024 Australian Open. The 24-time Major champion expressed support for young players like Shelton showing confidence but emphasized that certain boundaries should never be crossed.

"As far as Shelton's level of confidence and coming out, I don't mind that actually at all. I think it's great. You got to believe. I'm all for that," Djokovic told the media.

"But there is obviously some kind of line, non-visible line, of acceptable behavior I guess towards the other player. If a player steps over that line, then obviously it starts being annoying. That's when you react or you don't react, whatever. It just depends," he added.

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Serena Williams' ex-coach lauds Elena Rybakina's sportsmanship following heartbreaking Australian Open loss

Last year's Australian Open finalist Elena Rybakina experienced a heartbreaking defeat in this year's tournament, losing 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(20) to Anna Blinkova in the second round. The match was a thrilling affair, featuring the longest tiebreak in Grand Slam singles history.

Rybakina shared a warm hug with her former doubles partner Blinkova at the net following the match, which caught the attention of Serena Wiliams' former coach Rennae Stubbs. Stubbs took to Instagram stories to praise the Kazakh's sportsmanship, writing:

"I hope these two get nominated for the Karen Kranzky award @wta. Look at Elena Rybakina’s face here! I mean what a sweetie! Loses an epic match and hugs her opponent with this face."

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Mirra Andreeva thinks Martina Hingis didn't "deserve" the crowd's hostility during French Open 1999 final against Steffi Graf

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva recently shared her views on the 1999 French Open final between Martina Hingis and Steffi Graf. Andreeva expressed that she felt the Swiss tennis didn't "deserve" the hostility during her defeat to the German.

"The final of Roland Garros against Steffi Graf, I watched this match. I don't know, I felt so bad for her [Martina Hingis]. Of course, Steffi Graf was also an amazing player. She played really good," Andreeva told the media after her 2024 Australian Open third-round win.

"I don't know, I felt really sad watching her kind of, I don't know, all this crowd was on her. I watched this match several times. Every time I feel the same way, that she didn't really deserve it," she added.

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Taylor Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle jokes about consuming Novak Djokovic's new drink

Taylor Fritz's girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, recently gave Novak Djokovic's newly launched sports drink, 'SILA by Novak Djokovic,' a try. The drink is a collaborative venture with Waterdrop.

In a recent video circulating on X (formerly Twitter), Riddle, a social media influencer, referred to the drink as the "secret sauce" for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

"Apparently, this is exactly what Novak (drinks). This is a secret sauce that Novak’s been putting in his drink. So, I’m gonna trying it for the first time," she said.

Riddle joked:

"Okay, so if I drink this, I’ll be like Novak."

Fritz replied:

"Sure."