Tennis News Today: Rafael Nadal withdraws from Australian Open 2024; Iga Swiatek reduced to tears after heartbreaking United Cup final loss

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the 2024 Australian Open due to the emergence of a new injury. The news came just a few days after the Spaniard returned to the sport following a lengthy layoff.

Gael Monfils stated that he was proud of his wife Elina Svitolina on her ASB Classic Run in Auckland. The Ukrainian lost to World No. 3 Coco Gauff in the final.

Iga Swiatek was moved to tears after Germany won the United Cup over Team Poland. Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios compared his own injury situation to Nadal's after the former World No. 1's Melbourne Slam withdrawal.

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

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1) Rafael Nadal pulls out of Australian Open 2024 with new hip injury

Rafael Nadal made an impressive comeback to tennis at the 2024 Brisbane International after being out since January 2023. He beat Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler before falling to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals.

Following his exit from the ATP 250 tournament, the Spaniard announced on his social media accounts that he had withdrawn from the Melbourne Major as an MRI revealed a micro tear of a muscle in his hip.

"Hi all, during my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem on a muscle that as you know made me worried. Once I got to Melbourne I have had the chance to make an MRI and I have micro tear on a muscle, not in the same part where I had the injury and that’s good news," Nadal wrote.

"Right now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level of exigence in 5 sets matches. I’m flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest," he added.

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2) Iga Swiatek reduced to tears after losing United Cup 2024 title to Germany

Team Poland lost to Germany in the 2024 United Cup final on Sunday (January 7).

Iga Swiatek won her singles fixture with Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-0 to give her team a 1-0 lead. Germany's Alexander Zverev then tied the score by defeating Hubert Hurkacz in a three-set thriller 6-7(3), 7-6 (6), 6-4, saving two match points.

The Polish duo of Swiatek and Hurkacz lost the mixed doubles match against Zverev and Laura Siegemund 6-4, 5-7, 10-4, and with it the chance to lift the trophy.

After the match, Iga Swiatek burst into tears at the missed opportunity. Last year too she had got the team close, before Poland lost to the USA in the semifinals.

You can watch the video below:

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3) Gael Monfils "proud" of wife Elina Svitolina after Ukrainian loses ASB Classic final to Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff and Elina Svitolina pictured with their ASB Classic trophies

Elina Svitolina made a strong start to her 2024 campaign with a run to the final at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where she was defeated by Coco Gauff in three sets. En route the title bout, the Ukrainian defeated the likes of Caroline Wozniacki, Emma Raducanu, Marie Bouzkova and Wang Xiyu.

Gael Monfils later took to his X (formerly Twitter) account to express his pride in Svitolina. He also congratulated Gauff on her "hard-fought victory."

"What a fight! Not the result you wanted but I’m so incredibly proud of you, what an amazing start to the year! Congratulations Coco on a hard-fought victory," the Frenchman wrote.

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4) Nick Kyrgios compares his injury situation to Rafael Nadal's after Spaniard's Australian Open withdrawal

Nick Kyrgios used his X (formerly Twitter) account to wish Rafael Nadal well after the Spaniard was forced to withdraw from the 2024 Australian Open due to a new hip injury.

While doing so, Kyrgios compared his own injury situation to Nadal's, stating that he was afraid of returning too soon. For those unaware, the Aussie has been recovering from a knee injury, which forced him to withdraw from all four Grand Slam tournaments in 2023.

"Feel for Rafa man. Get better soon, that was the fear for me as well, coming back a little too soon," Kyrgios wrote.