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Novak Djokovic weighed in on Rafael Nadal's ongoing injury struggles after the Spaniard withdrew from the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters. Danielle Collins reminisced about her "exciting" first encounter with her boyfriend Bryan.
Holger Rune made a bold prediction for his clay season campaign this year. Meanwhile, Serena Williams shared her daughter Olympia's "savage" reaction to being instructed to brush her teeth.
On that note, here's a recap of the day's biggest headlines:
Novak Djokovic discusses Rafael Nadal's injury struggles following Spaniard's Monte-Carlo Masters withdrawal
Novak Djokovic has commented on Rafael Nadal's ongoing struggles with injuries after the Spaniard withdrew from the Monte-Carlo Masters just a few days before the beginning of the tournament.
Nadal has been grappling with a hip injury for over a year, which originated during the 2023 Australian Open and led to him sitting out the entire season.
Although the 22-time Major champion made a comeback in 2024 at the Brisbane International, he experienced another minor setback with his hip, forcing him to skip the Melbourne Slam. He has subsequently withdrawn from the Qatar Open, Indian Wells, Miami Masters, and now the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Djokovic, the top seed at this year's ATP Masters 1000 event in Monaco, spoke to L'Equipe before his campaign and expressed that it's a "shame" not to have his arch-rival in action at the moment.
"That’s the question of questions! Only he can answer that. It's important for our sport to have Rafa on court, and even more so this year, where he said it might be his last. It's a shame to see him out since the start of the year," Djokovic said.
The Serb added:
"I don't know where he is with his body. But who other than him has the right to do what is good for him? He is a legend of our sport. As a tennis fan, I hope he can return to his favorite clay court of Roland Garros."
Danielle Collins recalls her "exciting" first meeting with her boyfriend Bryan
Danielle Collins is on a hot streak, having recently clinched her first WTA 1000-level title at the Miami Open in what could potentially be her final year on the tour. She has also reached the final of the Charleston Open, where she will face off against Daria Kasatkina on April 8.
After her quarterfinal victory over Elise Mertens in Charleston, Collins opened up about her boyfriend Bryan during an interview with the Tennis Channel. She said they had been dating for a while and first met in a coffee shop in London last year after she faced an early exit in Wimbledon.
"Bryan made the trip from Boston. He's had a really busy work week. We have been going out for a while now. We met at a coffee shop in London, so that was pretty exciting," Collins said.
"I didn't think I would meet someone at a coffee shop. Who would have thought? Just after the tournament, Wimbledon," she added.
The 30-year-old continued:
"He didn't know anything about tennis, and he didn't know I was a tennis player, which was really nice. He was actually a bigger fan of golf and so he said, 'Well, I really like golf. I don't really know much about tennis.' And I was like, 'Yes! That's so exciting.'"
Holger Rune says he wants to win the French Open 2024
Holger Rune recently made a bold prediction for his 2024 clay court season, expressing his belief that he could lift the trophy at the French Open this year.
The Dane's remarks came ahead of his campaign at the Monte-Carlo Masters on April 9, where he will face either Matteo Arnaldi or Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round, having received a first-round bye.
Rune told the ATP Tour:
"One bold prediction for the clay court season to win the French Open."
The 20-year-old's best result at Roland-Garros thus far has been reaching the quarterfinals twice consecutively in 2022 and 2023. Casper Ruud cut his run short on both occasions.
Serena Williams shares daughter Olympia's "savage" reply when being told to brush her teeth
Serena Williams shared a humorous anecdote about her and her husband Alexis Ohanian's first-born daughter Olympia reacting to being told to brush her teeth.
Williams wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Olympia used her toothbrush and even said that she didn't see her mother using it anymore, a response the 23-time Grand Slam champion humorously labeled as "savage."
"I told Olympia to brush her teeth. She used my toothbrush 🙈🙈😫😫and said she did not see me use it anymore … Savage….@WYNbeauty," she wrote.
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