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Emma Raducanu, Taylor Fritz, and other top stars headlined the Citi DC Open over the past week. The Brit's decision to take a medical timeout at a crucial juncture during her match raised eyebrows.
Fritz, along with compatriot Frances Tiafoe, spoke up against the gruelling tennis schedule. Daniil Medvedev's outburst following his loss to Corentin Moutet resulted in a strong wave of criticism for him.
Jannik Sinner's decision to rehire his former fitness coach, who was a huge part of his doping scandal, caught everyone off guard. Stefanos Tsitsipas' split with his coach, Goran Ivanisevic, hasn't gone down too well based on the statements issued by each of them. On that note, here's a look at some of the controversial moments in tennis from the week gone by:
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#1. Emma Raducanu's medical timeout at the Citi DC Open invites criticism
Emma Raducanu enjoyed a successful outing at the recently concluded Citi DC Open. She made the semifinals in both singles as well as doubles, partnering with Elena Rybakina for the latter. However, a medical timeout from the Brit during her quarterfinal showdown against Maria Sakkari was felt to be unjustified by fans.
Temperatures were soaring in Washington D.C., where the tournament was being held. Raducanu took a timeout in the second set and got her blood pressure checked. Many fans felt that it was done to halt Sakkari's momentum, who was up 5-2 in the second set. They also pointed out that this wasn't the first time she pulled this stunt, criticizing her for relying on questionable tactics.
#2. Daniil Medvedev's meltdown at the Citi DC Open after his loss lands him in hot waters
Daniil Medvedev lost to Corentin Moutet in the quarterfinals of the Citi DC Open from a set up, going down 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. It's safe to say that he didn't take the loss too kindly. The match was suspended on Thursday night with Moutet leading 5-4 in the third set.
When the play resumed the next day, Medvedev coughed up three double faults in the final game of the match to lose the contest. The Russian was clearly mad at himself for losing, tossing his racket and smashing water bottles. Even by his standards, his latest outburst was too much, and he was heavily criticized for his antics.
#3. Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe left exasperated due to ATP's heavy schedule
Players have been demanding to shorten the tennis calendar for a while now. Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe echoed the same sentiment at the Citi DC Open. Ahead of his campaign there, Fritz bemoaned the length of the tennis season by adding more tournaments and making some of them even longer.
"Yeah, I mean, I think, like, I mean, probably pretty much all the players for a long time have been asking for the season to be shorter, but all we are doing is just lengthening it, adding more stuff, we're adding more, like, longer tournaments," Fritz said.
The Canadian Open has been increased in duration and size. The draw went up from 56 players to 96, with the tournament being spread over 12 days from its previous week-long timeframe. Tiafoe wasn't too chuffed with the change, especially with the final being on Thursday.
"It is what it is. I like that it’s a bit shorter than Madrid, Rome. Weird because the final is on a Thursday. That’s garbage," Tiafoe said.
However, on the bright side, Tiafoe still finds this to be better than competing in Europe. He's only a short flight away from home in case of a mishap, instead of being stranded in a place where he encounters communication issues.
"But yeah, I mean, I guess I’m ready to get going and see how that goes. The 10-day events are tough, but I think it will be easier since I’m so close to the States. Something goes wrong, I’m a quick flight home. It’s not like when I’m stuck in Europe and playing on red clay and people speaking different languages and s—. It’s better to kind of be in the States, so for sure, I’m really happy. Hopefully put up some good results going into the Open. That’s kind of what matters," he added.
Both Fritz and Tiafoe lost in the quarterfinals of the Citi DC Open. They're now in Toronto participating in the Canadian Open. Both have received a first-round bye on account of being seeded players.
#4. Jannik Sinner rehires former fitness coach linked to his doping scandal
Just when it looked like the dust around Jannik Sinner's doping controversy had settled, he has revived it once again by rehiring his former fitness coach, Umberto Ferrara. He tested positive for the banned substance clostebol last year, for which he served a three-month suspension following his Australian Open triumph this year.
Sinner recently won Wimbledon, his fourth Major title and first at the venue. In light of his doping controversy, he fired Ferrara, as well as his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi. However, he has now added Ferrara back to his team ahead of the hardcourt swing.
When the 23-year-old tested positive for clostebol, he assigned the blame to Ferrara, stating he was the one who gave the contaminated spray to Naldi, who eventually exposed him to clostebol while treating him. Sinner's decision to rehire him has certainly raised eyebrows.
#5. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Goran Ivanisevic engage in a war of words following their split
Stefanos Tsitsipas recently parted ways with his coach Goran Ivanisevic, with their partnership not even lasting a month. Their split has been far from cordial, with the seeds of the breakdown of their relationship being sown long before they officially ended their working arrangement.
Following Tsitsipas' first-round exit from Wimbledon, Ivanisevic wasn't pleased with his charge's fitness. He didn't mince his words when commenting on the same, stating that even he was in better shape despite his age.
"Me, at my age and with this bad knee, I’m three times in better shape than him. I'm not sure what he was doing in the previous 12 months, but his current shape is very poor," Ivanisevic said.
Tsitsipas mentioned that this was one of the reasons why he chose to ditch Ivanisevic. His negative attitude wasn't something that he could handle.
"It is very difficult to have dictators and people who speak negatively and you don't feel like they are close to you like family," Tsitsipas said.
Ivanisevic later clarified that there's no bad blood between them. Tsitsipas has now started working with his father, Apostolos, once again after parting ways with the Croat.
