The ATP Challenger circuit has been riddled with unexpected controversy after two players were arrested on suspicion of making racist gestures. Although it does not receive the same attention as ATP tournaments of 250 level and above, the Challenger Tour is pivotal for developing the next generation of stars and determining who can make a good living from the sport. That means any news damaging the circuit's reputation is bad for tennis and takes the attention away from those battling away to achieve their dreams of becoming successful professional players amidst much competition. The shocking incident occurred at a Challenger 75 tournament in Itajai, Brazil. Venezuelan Luis David Martinez and Colombian Cristian Rodriguez were playing a doubles match against home favorites Eduardo Ribeiro and Igor Marcondes. The Brazilian duo won that match, but the result is not what created headlines. Martinez and Rodriguez allegedly made racist insults and gestures to a fan and club official after being defeated. Brazilian media outlets reported that the police detained the duo at their hotel after being made aware of their alleged behavior. The authorities spoke to those at the match who said they had witnessed the incident before going to the hotel. Tournament organizers made a brief statement to UOL after the incident, confirming what had happened, and outlining their clear stance against discrimination of all kinds. "What happened during today’s doubles match at the Itajaí Open led to an immediate response from the Military Police, who were present and took the appropriate measures in accordance with Brazilian law. The Itajaí Open strongly condemns racism or any form of discrimination." The outcome for Martinez and Rodriguez is uncertain at this stage. However, the pair must be very worried since what they are accused of carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison under Brazilian law. 36-year-old Martinez and 35-year-old Rodriguez have respective doubles rankings of No. 108 and No. 162. Any prison sentence for them would almost certainly represent the end of their professional careers. Daniil Medvedev was told that tennis locker rooms used to be incredibly toxic At a press conference at the 2026 Australian Open, Daniil Medvedev was asked whether he had any locker room stories to share, since several players are in close proximity at events. Medvedev answered that the atmosphere is generally very friendly in the modern game and that there were only a few players in the Top 100 whom he does not like. The 2021 US Open winner did not name who they are. However, Medvedev also stated that his coaches, Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, have told him stories about how toxic the locker room was 20 years ago. He found some of the stories genuinely shocking and surprising. Although Medvedev has good relations with most players, he is not popular with Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova. She condemned him for appearing at an exhibition in St. Petersburg despite the ATP and WTA banning tournaments in Russia and Belarus.

Jannik Sinner seemed to be on his way out of the 2026 Australian Open before recovering from full-body cramps. Sinner took on Eliot Spizzirri in the third round of this year's Australian Open. On paper, it looked like a must-win match for the two-time champion, who was a huge favorite against the ATP world No. 85 player. However, things looked different after the first set of the match, which the American player won 6-4. He then started the second set with a break, and even Sinner's most loyal fans started to worry. But the Italian player quickly recovered, winning the second set of the match 6-3. Little did he know, though, that an even bigger challenge was about to come. Sinner started cramping at the start of the third set. Initially, he had cramps only in his legs, but they ultimately spread also into his arms, something that obviously hinders a tennis player. Down 1-2 and serving, it seemed that the second seed might even give up the fight. He could barely walk and served like a coach who tries to feed balls to someone picking up a racket for the first time would. The Italian just couldn't play tennis properly. Unsurprisingly, he lost his serve and fell 1-3 behind. Behind all this was one simple reason. It was incredibly hot in Melbourne, Australia, which caused Sinner to cramp. Luckily for him, the same factor that almost cost him the match also ended up saving him. The Australian Open uses a heat index scale, and once it reaches 5, the matches around the Melbourne Park have to be stopped. That's exactly what happened when Sinner fell 1-3 behind. As a result, the roof at the Rod Laver Arena had to be closed, which gave Sinner a few minutes to recover. The air conditioning was also turned on inside the arena, making the conditions much more bearable. Miraculously, Sinner won the second set 6-4, after which he and his opponent were granted a 10-minute break because of the heat index. The two-time champion then won the match in four sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Many of the fans thought that Sinner did something special during the break, which helped him to win the match. However, according to his own words, he only stretched, as there was nothing else he could do during the break. "Yeah, I mean, it was hot today. Started to cramp a little bit in the third set, which then after by time it went slowly away. I know my body slightly better now with a bit of experience also, you know, trying to handle certain situations a bit better. Yeah, got lucky today." "Yeah, nothing. I was alone. There was no treatment. You cannot have treatment in that time. So I was stretching. I laid down for five minutes, trying to loosen up the muscles. It worked really well. Trying to get the body temperature a bit more down. That’s it. There are not many things you can do. Time passed quite fast, but it helped me, for sure." Sinner said he was lucky that the suspension of play helped him. He said something similar also after he struggled against Holger Rune last year. That's why this time, the Italian player was asked whether he thinks he might run out of luck. "This I don’t know. I believe that I’m someone who tries to put tennis in the highest priority. And I know that I’m doing that for years now. In the back of my mind I know how much I work. I feel well prepared even if some problems could happen potentially on the court. Of course there are going to be days when you don’t find a way. It’s not that everything is going your way." "But with a positive mindset, for sure, more positive things can happen. If you’re on the court thinking in a negative way, most likely more negative things can come towards you. I try to stay calm even in a moment like this. If he keeps playing the way he was playing and maybe I was dropping a little bit, maybe my tournament was over today. I don’t know. Honestly I think that’s it." Sinner will need to play his best tennis in the remainder of the tournament, because only seeded players are now left in the draw. Up next, he will take on compatriot Luciano Darderi in the fourth round of the event.

Carlos Alcaraz has not hired anyone new since Juan Carlos Ferrero's departure, but he announced that his brother will become a more significant part of his team. Ferrero had been Alcaraz's coach and mentor since 2019 before his unexpected exit last month. When a pivotal person in a player's setup leaves, someone is usually hired in an attempt to fill that gap. Instead, Alcaraz has put faith in his existing team, especially Samuel Lopez, who was the six-time Grand Slam champion's co-coach last year. He also coached Alcaraz without Ferrero at a few tournaments in 2025. Rather than bringing in anyone new, Alcaraz stated in a 2026 Australian Open press conference that his brother Alvaro, who has helped Carlos in a non-coaching capacity, will work alongside him and Lopez. "My brother is a very important person in my personal and professional life. He brings me many positive things that I need to perform better and well on the court and in tournaments. Now he's going to take on more prominence alongside Samu." "He knows how we operate and how the tour works, and he knows a ton about tennis. Sometimes, he has opinions and a way of seeing things that bring a lot to me and to Samu. Happy to see him in the box, even more involved, and he brings me a lot." Despite Alvaro being family, this move is unexpected. The ATP world No. 1's brother has no top-level coaching experience, and shifting to supporting a high-level coach like Lopez will be an adjustment. Alcaraz's words leave some room for flexibility. It is uncertain whether Alvaro will be of similar importance to Lopez, or if the role is intended to be more of a secondary voice, with Lopez still the primary coach. Regardless of which it is, Alvaro now has additional responsibility. No one could have predicted this a few months ago at the 2025 US Open, when Ferrero was still Alcaraz's biggest influence and the 22-year-old shaved his head after Alvaro gave him a bad haircut. Roger Federer was floated as a possible coach for Carlos Alcaraz When Juan Carlos Ferrero split from Carlos Alcaraz, some argued the two-time French Open champion should hire a legend of the sport as his replacement, who could relate to the stresses of being at the top. Mats Wilander felt Roger Federer was ideally suited to the role, and publicly declared he would be the best option available. An Alcaraz/Federer combination would have been among the most high-profile player/coach relationships in tennis history. However, Federer ended that possibility by confirming that he has no interest in coaching right now. The 20-time Grand Slam champion's focus is on being a father and his other activities since ending his career at the 2022 Laver Cup. Federer also said he does not mind giving Alcaraz outside advice if the Spaniard asks him for it. Last year's US Open champion has often been compared to Federer because of his game's completeness and his status among many as the most enthralling player to watch in tennis.

Naomi Osaka's second-round match at the 2026 Australian Open got a bit spicy after she angered her opponent during the third set of the match. Osaka bested Antonia Ruzic in the first round of the Australian Open to set up a second-round meeting with Sorana Cirstea. The Romanian is an experienced player, and she played well in the opening two sets. The score was tied after two sets, so a third set had to decide the match. Osaka got off to a good start, breaking her opponent's serve in the opening game of the third set. She then came under threat of losing the break at 3-2 when she faced two break points. But the former WTA world No. 1 player saved both break points, and maybe that was also why her opponent became quite annoyed in the following game. Cirstea was serving at 4-2 and 30-30 when she missed her first serve. In between her first and second serves, Osaka tried hyping herself up with a few "Come ons." However, that angered her opponent, who asked the umpire if it was okay for Osaka to do that between serves. The umpire insisted that since Cirstea wasn't in a motion of her serve yet, it was fine for Osaka to talk to herself. The match continued, with the Japanese player winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. She may have forgotten about the incident in the meantime, but was quickly reminded at the net. Cirstea offered her only a brief, icy handshake, to which Osaka responded by asking the Romanian what she had done to deserve it. Cirstea then told her 16th seed that she didn't act fairly. "That? For not knowing what fair play i, my friend, you're playing for so long and you don't know what fair play is." Osaka was then asked about the moment during the on-court interview, but she only briefly addressed it, saying her opponent could have handled the situation differently. "Apparently, a lot of 'come ons' that she was angry about. Whatever. She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open. Sorry, she was mad about it. She could have asked me. Like..." Naomi Osaka apologizes after Cirstea incident After the match, Osaka realized that her initial reaction and the way she handled the on-court interview probably weren't ideal either. That's why she used her press conference to apologize to her opponent. "If I’m being honest, I’ve never been involved in something like this before. I don’t know if we’re supposed to leave it on the court and be like 'Hey.. how you doing?' I’m a little confused but I get that emotions were very high for her." "I also want to apologize. I think the first couple of things I said on the court were disrespectful. I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do. If she wants to talk about it, then yeah. When I’m pumping myself up, in my head, I’m not like ‘Okay, and now I’m gonna distract the other person.’ It’s purely for me. And my on-court interview, which I thought I could’ve done a lot better." Osaka will want to forget the incident and prepare for her third-round match against home player Maddison Inglis. She needed three sets in both of her first two matches, and will want to get through the third round in a more straightforward way.

The 2026 Australian Open was shaping up to be a great event for Naomi Osaka, but she won't turn it into her fifth major trophy after withdrawing from the tournament. With her ascent back to the top, Osaka has become one of the dark horses in every event she enters. As a 16th seed, that was no different at this year's Australian Open, where she won her first two matches. The Japanese player needed three sets to beat Antonia Ruzic and Sorana Cirstea. She bested both, despite a minor controversy in the match against Cirstea. The draw was nice to her, as she was supposed to take on Maddison Inglis, a player ranked 168th in the world, in her third-round match. However, shortly before her match, which was scheduled as the last on the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, Osaka announced that she wouldn't continue at the 2026 Australian Open, withdrawing from the tournament. The tournament organizers revealed the reason for her withdrawal was an abdominal injury, while the former WTA world No. 1 player updated her fans through her Instagram profile. "I've had to make the difficult decision to withdraw to address something my body needs attention for after my last match. I was so excited to keep going, and this run meant the most to me, so having to stop here breaks my heart, but I can't risk doing any further damage, so I can get back on the court." "Thanks for all the love and support... I'm so grateful everyone embraced me so much. And thank you to my whole team for always having my back and the tournament organizers." Withdrawing from a Grand Slam tournament is never easy for a player, but this will most definitely feel like a missed chance for Osaka. Having to play against a player ranked outside the Top 150 in the third round of a major rarely happens, and her chances of making the second week were huge. On top of that, at the time of her withdrawal, the match between the second-seeded Iga Swiatek and Anna Kalinskaya, the winner of which would have been her potential fourth-round opponent, was tied at one set all, which meant she could hope to avoid the world No. 2 in the following round. Osaka will now rest and recover to be healthy for the Middle Eastern swing, where she is scheduled to compete in two WTA 1000 tournaments. She should first play at the Qatar Open in Doha and then at the Dubai Championships.

Daniil Medvedev is known for being among the most open and engaging personalities in tennis, and he continued that by sharing an interesting insight from his coaches. From 2017 until the 2025 US Open, Medvedev was coached by Gilles Cervara. They had a very successful time together, but split after the six-time Grand Slam finalist endured a very disappointing 2025, including winning just one major at the Majors. Cervara was replaced by Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke. Under their guidance, Medvedev's level has significantly improved from where it had been for the previous 18 months, and he progressed to the 2026 Australian Open third round on Wednesday. In his press conference after beating Quentin Halys to reach that stage, Medvedev was asked about locker room dynamics and if there were any notable interactions between players who have to share a space together. The 2021 US Open champion said that almost all players are friendly and nice with each other now, but revealed that his coaches have told him that the current dynamic contrasts sharply with how it was 20 years ago. "That’s a very good question, because probably five, six days ago I was talking to my coaches. They’re both here, Rohan [Goetzke] and Thomas [Johansson]. Rohan was coaching on the tour like, what, maybe 20 years ago. Yeah, around 20. Maybe even more." "Thomas was playing kind of at the same time. I only know the locker room since I came in, and to be honest, I always said, it’s super, like, friendly. Yes, on the court sometimes we can… I mean, never fight, but we can have a chat here and there. Maybe there is, I don’t know, two, three guys out of the top 100 you don’t like, but in general, it’s a super friendly atmosphere." Medvedev said Johansson told him some stories that left him astounded, but vowed to never reveal them since he does not think it is his place. Those anecdotes contrast sharply with Medvedev's experience of speaking to some opponents before and after the match. "Everyone laughs, even sometimes before the matches or after the matches. If you’re really in a good relationship, you can kind of laugh it off. I heard from them that 20 years ago it was as toxic as it could be. That’s what they say. So I don’t know if it’s ever in the podcast or something, but I heard some stories from Thomas. I’m never going to reveal them." "I was, like, shocked. I was, like, but that’s why you guys finish your careers early because it’s constant pressure. He told me some stories where it’s, like, you know, from when you wake up, you’re already under pressure." The former ATP world No. 1 then mentioned Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who Medvedev may struggle to compete against despite his improved level, sharing a jet after their recent exhibition. "Going to the locker room, you’re under pressure. I know our locker room is great. It’s very chill, very relaxing. You see [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner are sharing the jets or whatever. I think it’s good, because that’s what makes us enjoy tennis and enjoy the tour."

The ATP Challenger circuit has been riddled with unexpected controversy after two players were arrested on suspicion of making racist gestures. Although it does not receive the same attention as ATP tournaments of 250 level and above, the Challenger Tour is pivotal for developing the next generation of stars and determining who can make a good living from the sport. That means any news damaging the circuit's reputation is bad for tennis and takes the attention away from those battling away to achieve their dreams of becoming successful professional players amidst much competition. The shocking incident occurred at a Challenger 75 tournament in Itajai, Brazil. Venezuelan Luis David Martinez and Colombian Cristian Rodriguez were playing a doubles match against home favorites Eduardo Ribeiro and Igor Marcondes. The Brazilian duo won that match, but the result is not what created headlines. Martinez and Rodriguez allegedly made racist insults and gestures to a fan and club official after being defeated. Brazilian media outlets reported that the police detained the duo at their hotel after being made aware of their alleged behavior. The authorities spoke to those at the match who said they had witnessed the incident before going to the hotel. Tournament organizers made a brief statement to UOL after the incident, confirming what had happened, and outlining their clear stance against discrimination of all kinds. "What happened during today’s doubles match at the Itajaí Open led to an immediate response from the Military Police, who were present and took the appropriate measures in accordance with Brazilian law. The Itajaí Open strongly condemns racism or any form of discrimination." The outcome for Martinez and Rodriguez is uncertain at this stage. However, the pair must be very worried since what they are accused of carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison under Brazilian law. 36-year-old Martinez and 35-year-old Rodriguez have respective doubles rankings of No. 108 and No. 162. Any prison sentence for them would almost certainly represent the end of their professional careers. Daniil Medvedev was told that tennis locker rooms used to be incredibly toxic At a press conference at the 2026 Australian Open, Daniil Medvedev was asked whether he had any locker room stories to share, since several players are in close proximity at events. Medvedev answered that the atmosphere is generally very friendly in the modern game and that there were only a few players in the Top 100 whom he does not like. The 2021 US Open winner did not name who they are. However, Medvedev also stated that his coaches, Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, have told him stories about how toxic the locker room was 20 years ago. He found some of the stories genuinely shocking and surprising. Although Medvedev has good relations with most players, he is not popular with Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova. She condemned him for appearing at an exhibition in St. Petersburg despite the ATP and WTA banning tournaments in Russia and Belarus.

Carlos Alcaraz has not hired anyone new since Juan Carlos Ferrero's departure, but he announced that his brother will become a more significant part of his team. Ferrero had been Alcaraz's coach and mentor since 2019 before his unexpected exit last month. When a pivotal person in a player's setup leaves, someone is usually hired in an attempt to fill that gap. Instead, Alcaraz has put faith in his existing team, especially Samuel Lopez, who was the six-time Grand Slam champion's co-coach last year. He also coached Alcaraz without Ferrero at a few tournaments in 2025. Rather than bringing in anyone new, Alcaraz stated in a 2026 Australian Open press conference that his brother Alvaro, who has helped Carlos in a non-coaching capacity, will work alongside him and Lopez. "My brother is a very important person in my personal and professional life. He brings me many positive things that I need to perform better and well on the court and in tournaments. Now he's going to take on more prominence alongside Samu." "He knows how we operate and how the tour works, and he knows a ton about tennis. Sometimes, he has opinions and a way of seeing things that bring a lot to me and to Samu. Happy to see him in the box, even more involved, and he brings me a lot." Despite Alvaro being family, this move is unexpected. The ATP world No. 1's brother has no top-level coaching experience, and shifting to supporting a high-level coach like Lopez will be an adjustment. Alcaraz's words leave some room for flexibility. It is uncertain whether Alvaro will be of similar importance to Lopez, or if the role is intended to be more of a secondary voice, with Lopez still the primary coach. Regardless of which it is, Alvaro now has additional responsibility. No one could have predicted this a few months ago at the 2025 US Open, when Ferrero was still Alcaraz's biggest influence and the 22-year-old shaved his head after Alvaro gave him a bad haircut. Roger Federer was floated as a possible coach for Carlos Alcaraz When Juan Carlos Ferrero split from Carlos Alcaraz, some argued the two-time French Open champion should hire a legend of the sport as his replacement, who could relate to the stresses of being at the top. Mats Wilander felt Roger Federer was ideally suited to the role, and publicly declared he would be the best option available. An Alcaraz/Federer combination would have been among the most high-profile player/coach relationships in tennis history. However, Federer ended that possibility by confirming that he has no interest in coaching right now. The 20-time Grand Slam champion's focus is on being a father and his other activities since ending his career at the 2022 Laver Cup. Federer also said he does not mind giving Alcaraz outside advice if the Spaniard asks him for it. Last year's US Open champion has often been compared to Federer because of his game's completeness and his status among many as the most enthralling player to watch in tennis.

Politics and sports collided again when U.S. WTA stars Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, and Madison Keys were asked about their country's direction under President Donald Trump's second term. Players take wildly differing views when it comes to political issues. Aryna Sabalenka, who was recently slammed by another Ukrainian player, says she believes politics and sport should not mix, despite her previous support for Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. French Open champion Gauff has been more open about her opinions and belief in social justice. Although the world No. 3 did not explicitly reveal who she voted for in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, her opposition to President Trump has been obvious. That shone through again when she was asked about the U.S. under Trump at a 2026 Australian Open press conference. The 21-year-old hopes the country moves to what she perceives would be a better situation, but also finds talking about it tiring. "I hope forward that we can have a lot more peace in our country and more kindness in the way we speak to each other about different topics and things like that. Obviously, I’ve been pretty vocal about how I felt." "At this point, I feel a bit fatigued talking about it just because of the fact that it is hard being a black woman in this country and having to experience things, even online, and seeing marginalized communities being affected.. and knowing that I can only donate and speak out. I try my best to do that. But I hope that as time continues, we can reach a state that we’re not currently in, and we keep moving forward." Keys, who founded a non-profit named Kindness Wins that tries to spread a hopeful message and bring happiness, made her dislike of Trump and the country's direction under him very clear. "I think my stance has been pretty obvious. I think it’s pretty obvious where I stand. I am hopeful that we as a country can come together and get back to the values that I think make our country great. I am not a fan of divisiveness." "I think the beauty of the U.S. is that we are a mixing pot. We are very diverse. We are a home of immigrants. And I hope that we can get back to those values." In contrast to Gauff and Keys, Anisimova did not want to speak about politics. Last year's Wimbledon and US Open runner-up said she is always proud to represent her country and does not think Trump's presence is relevant. "I was born in America, so I’m always proud to represent my country. A lot of us are doing really well. It’s great to see a lot of great athletes on the women’s and men’s side. [asked about politics specifically] I don't think that's relevant." No player should be under any obligation to speak about politics if they do not want to. Gauff and Keys talking openly while Anisimova remained neutral are both entirely reasonable positions.

Naomi Osaka's second-round match at the 2026 Australian Open got a bit spicy after she angered her opponent during the third set of the match. Osaka bested Antonia Ruzic in the first round of the Australian Open to set up a second-round meeting with Sorana Cirstea. The Romanian is an experienced player, and she played well in the opening two sets. The score was tied after two sets, so a third set had to decide the match. Osaka got off to a good start, breaking her opponent's serve in the opening game of the third set. She then came under threat of losing the break at 3-2 when she faced two break points. But the former WTA world No. 1 player saved both break points, and maybe that was also why her opponent became quite annoyed in the following game. Cirstea was serving at 4-2 and 30-30 when she missed her first serve. In between her first and second serves, Osaka tried hyping herself up with a few "Come ons." However, that angered her opponent, who asked the umpire if it was okay for Osaka to do that between serves. The umpire insisted that since Cirstea wasn't in a motion of her serve yet, it was fine for Osaka to talk to herself. The match continued, with the Japanese player winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. She may have forgotten about the incident in the meantime, but was quickly reminded at the net. Cirstea offered her only a brief, icy handshake, to which Osaka responded by asking the Romanian what she had done to deserve it. Cirstea then told her 16th seed that she didn't act fairly. "That? For not knowing what fair play i, my friend, you're playing for so long and you don't know what fair play is." Osaka was then asked about the moment during the on-court interview, but she only briefly addressed it, saying her opponent could have handled the situation differently. "Apparently, a lot of 'come ons' that she was angry about. Whatever. She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open. Sorry, she was mad about it. She could have asked me. Like..." Naomi Osaka apologizes after Cirstea incident After the match, Osaka realized that her initial reaction and the way she handled the on-court interview probably weren't ideal either. That's why she used her press conference to apologize to her opponent. "If I’m being honest, I’ve never been involved in something like this before. I don’t know if we’re supposed to leave it on the court and be like 'Hey.. how you doing?' I’m a little confused but I get that emotions were very high for her." "I also want to apologize. I think the first couple of things I said on the court were disrespectful. I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do. If she wants to talk about it, then yeah. When I’m pumping myself up, in my head, I’m not like ‘Okay, and now I’m gonna distract the other person.’ It’s purely for me. And my on-court interview, which I thought I could’ve done a lot better." Osaka will want to forget the incident and prepare for her third-round match against home player Maddison Inglis. She needed three sets in both of her first two matches, and will want to get through the third round in a more straightforward way.

Daniil Medvedev is known for being among the most open and engaging personalities in tennis, and he continued that by sharing an interesting insight from his coaches. From 2017 until the 2025 US Open, Medvedev was coached by Gilles Cervara. They had a very successful time together, but split after the six-time Grand Slam finalist endured a very disappointing 2025, including winning just one major at the Majors. Cervara was replaced by Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke. Under their guidance, Medvedev's level has significantly improved from where it had been for the previous 18 months, and he progressed to the 2026 Australian Open third round on Wednesday. In his press conference after beating Quentin Halys to reach that stage, Medvedev was asked about locker room dynamics and if there were any notable interactions between players who have to share a space together. The 2021 US Open champion said that almost all players are friendly and nice with each other now, but revealed that his coaches have told him that the current dynamic contrasts sharply with how it was 20 years ago. "That’s a very good question, because probably five, six days ago I was talking to my coaches. They’re both here, Rohan [Goetzke] and Thomas [Johansson]. Rohan was coaching on the tour like, what, maybe 20 years ago. Yeah, around 20. Maybe even more." "Thomas was playing kind of at the same time. I only know the locker room since I came in, and to be honest, I always said, it’s super, like, friendly. Yes, on the court sometimes we can… I mean, never fight, but we can have a chat here and there. Maybe there is, I don’t know, two, three guys out of the top 100 you don’t like, but in general, it’s a super friendly atmosphere." Medvedev said Johansson told him some stories that left him astounded, but vowed to never reveal them since he does not think it is his place. Those anecdotes contrast sharply with Medvedev's experience of speaking to some opponents before and after the match. "Everyone laughs, even sometimes before the matches or after the matches. If you’re really in a good relationship, you can kind of laugh it off. I heard from them that 20 years ago it was as toxic as it could be. That’s what they say. So I don’t know if it’s ever in the podcast or something, but I heard some stories from Thomas. I’m never going to reveal them." "I was, like, shocked. I was, like, but that’s why you guys finish your careers early because it’s constant pressure. He told me some stories where it’s, like, you know, from when you wake up, you’re already under pressure." The former ATP world No. 1 then mentioned Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who Medvedev may struggle to compete against despite his improved level, sharing a jet after their recent exhibition. "Going to the locker room, you’re under pressure. I know our locker room is great. It’s very chill, very relaxing. You see [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner are sharing the jets or whatever. I think it’s good, because that’s what makes us enjoy tennis and enjoy the tour."

Karolina Muchova lost a very crucial point during her second-round match at the 2026 Australian Open for celebrating a bit too early. Muchova is always one of the dark horses when entering a major tournament. She is one of the most talented players on the WTA Tour, but her body betrays her just too often for the Czech player to be a stable part of the Top 10. The 2023 Roland Garros finalist beat Jaqueline Cristian in her first match at this year's Australian Open 6-3, 7-6(6), and in the second round, her opponent was Alycia Parks. The American is always a tricky opponent, and such was Muchova's second-round match. The Czech player lost the first set of the match 4-6, but fought back to win the second set 6-4 and force the decider. Muchova started well in the third set, breaking her opponent's serve in the first game of the set. Yet, only a few games later, Muchova was in trouble. She faced a total of four break points in the fourth game when leading 2-1. One of those break points came as a direct consequence of Muchova's rarely-seen mistake. At 2-1 and 40-40, the 29-year-old Czech hit a great backhand, which turned her defensive position into an offensive one. However, Muchova thought her backhand was so good that it was a winner, and she started celebrating it with a loud scream. To her surprise, Parks got to the ball in time, which meant the umpire of the match had to stop the play, awarding the point to the American player because of a hindrance. It was Parks' fourth break point of the game, but she couldn't use the chance, as Muchova held after six deuces. The Czech player can now look on the mistake as a funny story, as she won the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, and it ultimately didn't cost her the win. After the match, she spoke about the moment, saying it was the first time something like that had happened to her. "I guess it shows how focused I was in the match (laughs). I thought she wouldn't be there anymore, that I played a backhand too fast. But she runs fast, she's tall. She touched the ball and because of that I lost the rally. It's never happened to me before, it was my first time. I'm glad I won the game in the end. It was quite important." The match was also stopped because of rain at 4-2 in the third set. It was another challenge that both players had to deal with, but Muchova handled all of the challenges in her way to set up a third-round match with Magda Linette. She explained how that break impacted her. "The umpire told us that, according to the radar, it wouldn't be a long rain. It was supposed to be about forty minutes. There's nothing you can do about that. At first, he wanted to keep us on the court, then he sent us inside. At least I had time to take a warm shower. Then I warmed up again and went for it."

Aryna Sabalenka is in the headlines again for political reasons after Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova launched an attack on her and Russian and Belarusian athletes more broadly. Since February 2022, Russian and Belarusian tennis players have competed under neutral banners because of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. That action has been backed from the start by Belarus's government. Opinions have sharply differed on how tennis's governing bodies should respond to the situation. Players competing under neutral banners has caused some controversy, and the ban on Russians and Belarusians from the 2022 Wimbledon Championships caused wider outrage. However, Ukrainian ATP and WTA stars have called for harsher actions. Elina Svitolina, Marta Kostyuk, and Dayana Yastremska are among those who believe Russian and Belarusian athletes should be banned until Russia withdraws from Ukraine. Oliynykova, who made her Grand Slam main draw debut at the 2026 Australian Open, was the latest to speak passionately in an interview with L'Equipe. She explicitly blamed Russian and Belarusian athletes who do not speak out for Ukrainians being killed. “These people have the power to speak out. Not only do they not, but worse, many support Lukashenko and Putin, who are behind the explosion that shook my apartment in Kyiv." “It’s their fault that my country and my people are suffering. They support this, they finance this, they participate in Russian propaganda. It’s because of them that innocent civilians, women, children, are being killed right now in my country. It’s unacceptable.” Oliynykova took direct aim at Sabalenka, who Marta Kostyuk snubbed after their 2026 Adelaide International final, in the same interview, noting that the WTA world No. 1 had previously supported Lukashenko during protests, which is factually correct. “Actually, I feel like I’m living alongside dangerous people. They hold dangerous beliefs. And their actions are dangerous. I’m talking, for example, about the world number one (Aryna Sabalenka). Did you know that she signed the list supporting Lukashenko in 2020?" "During the protests in Belarus, when the streets were covered in blood because those who were demonstrating, defending democracy, and demanding fair elections were being repressed and beaten. Well, she signed it and declared that Lukashenko was her president." Sabalenka was asked about Oliynykova's words in a press conference. She has previously grown agitated when asked about the conflict in Ukraine and sounded that way again, stating she wanted the war to stop while not responding directly to Oliynykova. "Well, I’ve spoken a lot about that before. Obviously, I want peace and if I could change anything, I would definitely do that. Other than that, I have nothing else to say." "Listen, I'm here for tennis. It's a tennis event. I have said enough in the past and just don't want to talk politics here. Thank you." Daniil Medvedev was condemned for his participation in a Russian exhibition In an interview with L'Equipe, Ukrainian WTA player Oleksandra Oliynykova criticized Russian duo Diana Shnaider and Daniil Medvedev for their respective actions of praising Vladimir Putin and competing in a Russian exhibition. "Diana Shnaider was honoured by Putin. Well, Diana Shnaider stated that she would be delighted to receive an award from her president. Those are her exact words, from an interview." "There are also players who participate in the exhibition organised by Gazprom, one of the main sponsors of the war. This tournament in Saint Petersburg was organised, let’s be frank, to spit in the face of fair play and unity, to show they don’t care. Medvedev participated. Many others did too. Meanwhile, I was waking up with a start because of the explosions. Do you think that’s normal? I don’t." Medvedev was asked about those remarks at a 2026 Australian Open press conference. The 2021 US Open winner diplomatically said he respected people's opinions and did not directly address the Ukrainian. "In general, I respect all the opinions of all the people. I try… on the court, actually a bit different, right (smiles)? But outside the court, I respect all the opinions, but that’s her opinion and honestly I don’t have anything to say about it."

Politics and sports collided again when U.S. WTA stars Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, and Madison Keys were asked about their country's direction under President Donald Trump's second term. Players take wildly differing views when it comes to political issues. Aryna Sabalenka, who was recently slammed by another Ukrainian player, says she believes politics and sport should not mix, despite her previous support for Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. French Open champion Gauff has been more open about her opinions and belief in social justice. Although the world No. 3 did not explicitly reveal who she voted for in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, her opposition to President Trump has been obvious. That shone through again when she was asked about the U.S. under Trump at a 2026 Australian Open press conference. The 21-year-old hopes the country moves to what she perceives would be a better situation, but also finds talking about it tiring. "I hope forward that we can have a lot more peace in our country and more kindness in the way we speak to each other about different topics and things like that. Obviously, I’ve been pretty vocal about how I felt." "At this point, I feel a bit fatigued talking about it just because of the fact that it is hard being a black woman in this country and having to experience things, even online, and seeing marginalized communities being affected.. and knowing that I can only donate and speak out. I try my best to do that. But I hope that as time continues, we can reach a state that we’re not currently in, and we keep moving forward." Keys, who founded a non-profit named Kindness Wins that tries to spread a hopeful message and bring happiness, made her dislike of Trump and the country's direction under him very clear. "I think my stance has been pretty obvious. I think it’s pretty obvious where I stand. I am hopeful that we as a country can come together and get back to the values that I think make our country great. I am not a fan of divisiveness." "I think the beauty of the U.S. is that we are a mixing pot. We are very diverse. We are a home of immigrants. And I hope that we can get back to those values." In contrast to Gauff and Keys, Anisimova did not want to speak about politics. Last year's Wimbledon and US Open runner-up said she is always proud to represent her country and does not think Trump's presence is relevant. "I was born in America, so I’m always proud to represent my country. A lot of us are doing really well. It’s great to see a lot of great athletes on the women’s and men’s side. [asked about politics specifically] I don't think that's relevant." No player should be under any obligation to speak about politics if they do not want to. Gauff and Keys talking openly while Anisimova remained neutral are both entirely reasonable positions.

Daria Kasatkina provided an honest reaction to one of her rivals stealing her statement about her citizenship change. Kasatkina represented Russia for the vast majority of her tennis career, but recently, she made a difficult decision to accept citizenship in a different country. In March 2025, Kasatkina announced she would represent Australia. She announced the news through a statement on her social media profiles. Her statement was personal, explaining how challenging the decision to change citizenship has been. In the first part, she announced the change, saying she looked forward to calling Melbourne her new home. "I am delighted to let you all know that my application for permanent residency has been accepted by the Australian Government. Australia is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home." "I love being in Melbourne and look forward to making my home there. As part of this, I am proud to announce that I will be representing my new homeland, Australia, in my professional tennis career from this point onwards." A few months later, her former compatriot, Anastasia Potapova, made a similar decision. In December 2025, Potapova announced she would start representing Austria. The change itself wasn't shocking, as it was rumored before, but the way Potapova chose to announce it was. She essentially copy-pasted Kasatkina's statement, only changing the name of the country and the city. "I am delighted to let you all know that my application for citizenship has been accepted by the Austrian Government. Austria is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home." "I love being in Wien and look forward to making my second home there. As part of this, I am proud to announce that starting from 2026, I will be representing my new homeland Austria, in my professional tennis career from this point onwards."Ka Of course, many tennis fans and even some journalists noticed that the two statements were identical. That's why Potapova was asked about it during her press conference at the 2026 Australian Open. She defended her decision, saying she thought Kasatkina's statement was perfect, which is why she used the same words. "Well, I don't find anything wrong with that because you cannot say it in a better way. And why not? And yeah, it was perfect words. I loved it. We loved it with my team, with everyone. So yeah, we gave it a shot. I don't think that it's something terrible that happened. I think the media just blew it up just because they didn't like me with the fact of it happening. I mean, who cares about posts, right?" Kasatkina, too, was asked about the incident in an interview with Anna Chakvetadze. The Australian player admitted that she was surprised by her rival's decision to copy her statement. "We played each other in the first round in Brisbane, and it would be awkward to start discussing it before the match, and then it was already too late, and I kind of let go of this situation. But of course at that very moment [when I saw her post] | was, like, You could have come up with your own statement, right? It's a very special occasion, you are not just withdrawing from a tournament, in which case we all post nearly identical statements." "This is different. It's an important story, it's a serious step. I approached it differently because it was really important to me. But if she's fine with this, if [putting out] a statement like this is just ticking the box for her... well, okay, I guess? I mean, if she liked my statement that much, okay then..."

Jannik Sinner just faced probably the most bizarre question of his entire tennis career during the 2026 Australian Open. Tennis players, athletes, and celebrities in general are accustomed to facing numerous questions throughout their careers. Depending on the setting, the nature of the question can differ. For example, the questions asked on official channels, during on-court interviews, and at press conferences are usually quite professional, while those asked in social media appearances can be quite creative. Sinner started his 2026 Australian Open campaign with a quick win over Hugo Gaston, who retired after two sets, which the Italian player won 6-2, 6-1. The ATP world No. 2, therefore, had some extra time, which he spent by joining the official Australian Open show. The four-time major winner appeared on the "Pod Laver Arena" podcast, in which he went through multiple different segments, facing many different questions. One of those was related to his ATP colleague Nick Kyrgios. Kyrgios has been one of the loudest Sinner's critics in relation to the Italian's doping case. He openly questions Sinner's explanation of how he got contaminated, and the Australian didn't often mince words when talking about Sinner. That's probably why the presenters on the "Pod Laver Arena" podcast thought it would be funny to ask Sinner, as part of the "Would you Rafter?" segment, whether he would prefer to play doubles with Kyrgios or North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. "We have been playing a game here on the Pod Laver Arena, it's 'Would you Rafter?' doubles edition, where we put two people on the screen, and you tell us who you would rather be doubles partners with. So, up on the screen we have now Nick Kyrgios and Kim Jong Un." Sinner was probably shocked to hear the question, especially on the official Australian Open show. It also put him in an awkward position, as he probably also wanted to avoid saying anything controversial in relation to Kim Jong Un. The Italian player handled the answer as a professional, saying he would choose Kyrgios as a doubles partner, because he doesn't want to lose the match, and the Australian is obviously the more skilled on the tennis court out of the two options. "Well, playing tennis, definitely with Nick, I don't wanna lose. I don't wanna lose. But also to hang out, honestly." However, the damage has been done already. The tennis community all over social media voiced their disapproval with the question asked, even though the two-time Australian Open champion avoided any huge controversy with his answer. The presenters on the "Pod Laver Arena" podcast will likely hear about the controversy and think twice before asking similar questions in the upcoming shows. It might become challenging to secure any players to appear on the show if they have to face similarly uncomfortable and bizarre questions.

Karolina Muchova lost a very crucial point during her second-round match at the 2026 Australian Open for celebrating a bit too early. Muchova is always one of the dark horses when entering a major tournament. She is one of the most talented players on the WTA Tour, but her body betrays her just too often for the Czech player to be a stable part of the Top 10. The 2023 Roland Garros finalist beat Jaqueline Cristian in her first match at this year's Australian Open 6-3, 7-6(6), and in the second round, her opponent was Alycia Parks. The American is always a tricky opponent, and such was Muchova's second-round match. The Czech player lost the first set of the match 4-6, but fought back to win the second set 6-4 and force the decider. Muchova started well in the third set, breaking her opponent's serve in the first game of the set. Yet, only a few games later, Muchova was in trouble. She faced a total of four break points in the fourth game when leading 2-1. One of those break points came as a direct consequence of Muchova's rarely-seen mistake. At 2-1 and 40-40, the 29-year-old Czech hit a great backhand, which turned her defensive position into an offensive one. However, Muchova thought her backhand was so good that it was a winner, and she started celebrating it with a loud scream. To her surprise, Parks got to the ball in time, which meant the umpire of the match had to stop the play, awarding the point to the American player because of a hindrance. It was Parks' fourth break point of the game, but she couldn't use the chance, as Muchova held after six deuces. The Czech player can now look on the mistake as a funny story, as she won the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, and it ultimately didn't cost her the win. After the match, she spoke about the moment, saying it was the first time something like that had happened to her. "I guess it shows how focused I was in the match (laughs). I thought she wouldn't be there anymore, that I played a backhand too fast. But she runs fast, she's tall. She touched the ball and because of that I lost the rally. It's never happened to me before, it was my first time. I'm glad I won the game in the end. It was quite important." The match was also stopped because of rain at 4-2 in the third set. It was another challenge that both players had to deal with, but Muchova handled all of the challenges in her way to set up a third-round match with Magda Linette. She explained how that break impacted her. "The umpire told us that, according to the radar, it wouldn't be a long rain. It was supposed to be about forty minutes. There's nothing you can do about that. At first, he wanted to keep us on the court, then he sent us inside. At least I had time to take a warm shower. Then I warmed up again and went for it."

Aryna Sabalenka is in the headlines again for political reasons after Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova launched an attack on her and Russian and Belarusian athletes more broadly. Since February 2022, Russian and Belarusian tennis players have competed under neutral banners because of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. That action has been backed from the start by Belarus's government. Opinions have sharply differed on how tennis's governing bodies should respond to the situation. Players competing under neutral banners has caused some controversy, and the ban on Russians and Belarusians from the 2022 Wimbledon Championships caused wider outrage. However, Ukrainian ATP and WTA stars have called for harsher actions. Elina Svitolina, Marta Kostyuk, and Dayana Yastremska are among those who believe Russian and Belarusian athletes should be banned until Russia withdraws from Ukraine. Oliynykova, who made her Grand Slam main draw debut at the 2026 Australian Open, was the latest to speak passionately in an interview with L'Equipe. She explicitly blamed Russian and Belarusian athletes who do not speak out for Ukrainians being killed. “These people have the power to speak out. Not only do they not, but worse, many support Lukashenko and Putin, who are behind the explosion that shook my apartment in Kyiv." “It’s their fault that my country and my people are suffering. They support this, they finance this, they participate in Russian propaganda. It’s because of them that innocent civilians, women, children, are being killed right now in my country. It’s unacceptable.” Oliynykova took direct aim at Sabalenka, who Marta Kostyuk snubbed after their 2026 Adelaide International final, in the same interview, noting that the WTA world No. 1 had previously supported Lukashenko during protests, which is factually correct. “Actually, I feel like I’m living alongside dangerous people. They hold dangerous beliefs. And their actions are dangerous. I’m talking, for example, about the world number one (Aryna Sabalenka). Did you know that she signed the list supporting Lukashenko in 2020?" "During the protests in Belarus, when the streets were covered in blood because those who were demonstrating, defending democracy, and demanding fair elections were being repressed and beaten. Well, she signed it and declared that Lukashenko was her president." Sabalenka was asked about Oliynykova's words in a press conference. She has previously grown agitated when asked about the conflict in Ukraine and sounded that way again, stating she wanted the war to stop while not responding directly to Oliynykova. "Well, I’ve spoken a lot about that before. Obviously, I want peace and if I could change anything, I would definitely do that. Other than that, I have nothing else to say." "Listen, I'm here for tennis. It's a tennis event. I have said enough in the past and just don't want to talk politics here. Thank you." Daniil Medvedev was condemned for his participation in a Russian exhibition In an interview with L'Equipe, Ukrainian WTA player Oleksandra Oliynykova criticized Russian duo Diana Shnaider and Daniil Medvedev for their respective actions of praising Vladimir Putin and competing in a Russian exhibition. "Diana Shnaider was honoured by Putin. Well, Diana Shnaider stated that she would be delighted to receive an award from her president. Those are her exact words, from an interview." "There are also players who participate in the exhibition organised by Gazprom, one of the main sponsors of the war. This tournament in Saint Petersburg was organised, let’s be frank, to spit in the face of fair play and unity, to show they don’t care. Medvedev participated. Many others did too. Meanwhile, I was waking up with a start because of the explosions. Do you think that’s normal? I don’t." Medvedev was asked about those remarks at a 2026 Australian Open press conference. The 2021 US Open winner diplomatically said he respected people's opinions and did not directly address the Ukrainian. "In general, I respect all the opinions of all the people. I try… on the court, actually a bit different, right (smiles)? But outside the court, I respect all the opinions, but that’s her opinion and honestly I don’t have anything to say about it."

Andrey Rublev was very honest during his most recent on-court interview at the 2026 Australian Open. Rublev might be one of the best tennis players ever, who never made it past the quarter-final stage at a Grand Slam. He is a 10-time quarter-finalist, having played at least one quarter-final at each major tournament. This year, he will attempt to finally end that streak of quarter-final losses. He gets his first chance at the Australian Open. In his first match at the "Happy Slam," Rublev beat Matteo Arnaldi in three straightforward sets, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. However, his performance wasn't the highlight of the day. Rublev is an honest man, and that was on full display during his post-match on-court interview. The Russian player was asked about playing Jaime Faria in the next round, a player ranked 151st on the ATP Tour, who made it into the main draw through the qualifying. Rublev admitted that he isn't familiar with Faria or his game, so he will have to analyze his next opponent's game. At the same time, Rublev knows that when playing against underdogs, he has the match on his racket, so he will mainly focus on bringing his A-game. "I don’t know who I’m playing because I didn’t check the draw. You told me the name, and I still don’t know the guy. So I will need to check, to do some research, to see how he's playing." "Then, obviously, of course, it's always about me, and doesn't matter, of course, you can have a tactic, but then it's about you, if you're going to do it, or if you're going to miss balls." The interview continued quite hilariously when Rublev didn't know how to answer the following question about the conditions in Melbourne, even joking that he didn't feel connected with the interviewer. "It's true we don't have a lot of connection. I don't know what to say, conditions, it's Australia. It's outdoors. Of course it's different, sometimes it's super hot, then it's super windy, then it's cloudy. It's a part of the sport, I don't know, you've been watching tennis for many years." Rublev might play a more well-known opponent if he makes it to the next rounds. His next opponent could be the 18th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo, and after that, Rublev could play back-to-back matches against Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev, two players he knows very well. Rublev is even a godfather to Medvedev's daughter, Alisa, and the two have a great relationship. If they meet at this year's Australian Open, it would be in the quarter-finals, the stage that still remains a hurdle for Rublev.

Daria Kasatkina provided an honest reaction to one of her rivals stealing her statement about her citizenship change. Kasatkina represented Russia for the vast majority of her tennis career, but recently, she made a difficult decision to accept citizenship in a different country. In March 2025, Kasatkina announced she would represent Australia. She announced the news through a statement on her social media profiles. Her statement was personal, explaining how challenging the decision to change citizenship has been. In the first part, she announced the change, saying she looked forward to calling Melbourne her new home. "I am delighted to let you all know that my application for permanent residency has been accepted by the Australian Government. Australia is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home." "I love being in Melbourne and look forward to making my home there. As part of this, I am proud to announce that I will be representing my new homeland, Australia, in my professional tennis career from this point onwards." A few months later, her former compatriot, Anastasia Potapova, made a similar decision. In December 2025, Potapova announced she would start representing Austria. The change itself wasn't shocking, as it was rumored before, but the way Potapova chose to announce it was. She essentially copy-pasted Kasatkina's statement, only changing the name of the country and the city. "I am delighted to let you all know that my application for citizenship has been accepted by the Austrian Government. Austria is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home." "I love being in Wien and look forward to making my second home there. As part of this, I am proud to announce that starting from 2026, I will be representing my new homeland Austria, in my professional tennis career from this point onwards."Ka Of course, many tennis fans and even some journalists noticed that the two statements were identical. That's why Potapova was asked about it during her press conference at the 2026 Australian Open. She defended her decision, saying she thought Kasatkina's statement was perfect, which is why she used the same words. "Well, I don't find anything wrong with that because you cannot say it in a better way. And why not? And yeah, it was perfect words. I loved it. We loved it with my team, with everyone. So yeah, we gave it a shot. I don't think that it's something terrible that happened. I think the media just blew it up just because they didn't like me with the fact of it happening. I mean, who cares about posts, right?" Kasatkina, too, was asked about the incident in an interview with Anna Chakvetadze. The Australian player admitted that she was surprised by her rival's decision to copy her statement. "We played each other in the first round in Brisbane, and it would be awkward to start discussing it before the match, and then it was already too late, and I kind of let go of this situation. But of course at that very moment [when I saw her post] | was, like, You could have come up with your own statement, right? It's a very special occasion, you are not just withdrawing from a tournament, in which case we all post nearly identical statements." "This is different. It's an important story, it's a serious step. I approached it differently because it was really important to me. But if she's fine with this, if [putting out] a statement like this is just ticking the box for her... well, okay, I guess? I mean, if she liked my statement that much, okay then..."

Novak Djokovic showed his trademark sense of humor when asked about Carlos Alcaraz's new service motion that many feel is very similar to the Serbian's. Alcaraz already possesses a formidable game, but his serve has consistently been cited as an area for improvement. The Spaniard's work to improve that shot dates back several months. Decisions about how to technically improve that shot have shifted since Juan Carlos Ferrero's surprising departure from Alcaraz's team. He had been the 22-year-old's mentor and coach since 2019. That development has not stopped Alcaraz from making alterations to his serve. Samuel Lopez, the ATP world No. 1's co-coach last season, and other personnel who remain on the team have worked with him on improvements. Fans watching Alcaraz's opening match at the 2026 Australian Open against Adam Walton, which he won in straight sets, noticed the differences in his serve and compared it to how Djokovic hits the same shot. Djokovic was asked about Alcaraz's serve being compared to his in a press conference after beating Adam Walton at the Australian Open. The tennis legend light-heartedly said he expects to be compensated for his younger rival seemingly copying him. "As soon as I saw it, I sent him a message. I said, we have to speak about the copyrights. Then when I saw him here, I told him we have to talk about percentage of his winnings. Every ace I expect, you know, a tribute to me. Every ace that he makes here. Let's see if he's going to stick to the agreement." Fans can be certain that Djokovic was joking since he and Alcaraz have shared a good relationship since the reigning French Open and US Open champion's emergence, even though they have been rivals near the top. Djokovic's quarterfinal triumph over Alcaraz at the 2025 Australian Open was his best recent win at a Grand Slam. They can only meet in the final this year, and Djokovic will probably need to beat Jannik Sinner in the semifinal. Novak Djokovic was happy with how he played and felt in his opening 2026 Australian Open match A few days before the 2026 Australian Open began, some of Novak Djokovic's fans were concerned about him cutting a practice session short after looking in discomfort. The 38-year-old has suffered from more frequent injury issues in the last few years. Thankfully, there seemed to be nothing worry about in his first-round contest against Pedro Martinez. Djokovic comfortably triumphed 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, and spoke afterward about how he felt good on the court. "It felt good tonight. Let's see how it's going to feel in a few days' time. Performance-wise, the feeling on the court, it was great. I couldn't ask for more. Obviously a great serving performance. Just overall felt really good on the court that has made me feel good on it for so many times throughout my career." The 24-time Grand Slam champion's next match will be against Francesco Maestrelli on Wednesday. If he plays as he did against Martinez, there is no chance his Italian opponent will defeat him.

Several Novak Djokovic fans were left unhappy after his Australian Open match because of a commentator's joke about him getting injured. The ten-time Australian Open men's singles champion faced few problems against Pedro Martinez. Despite the Spaniard's best efforts, he never came close to challenging Djokovic, who swiftly won 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. However, some of the Serbian's passionate fanbase did not view the final result as the most notable aspect of the match. A quip from one of the commentators on the world feed left some of them seething. When the score was 6-3, 3-1 in Djokovic's favor, the final outcome was already obvious. Martinez needed something dramatic, and the commentator mentioned one of the scenarios that would take him into the next round. Wally Masur, the former Australian Open and US Open men's singles semifinalist who also served as Team Australia's Davis Cup captain, said that Martinez might be hoping Djokovic sustains a severe injury. The moment can be watched below. "I think that's Pedro's biggest chance if Novak just tears an adductor on one of those slides. It might be just what he needs." Many Djokovic supporters and some fans of the sport as a whole felt the comment was in very poor taste, and that floating the idea of a player being injured is never acceptable, regardless of the context. Others will argue that Masur was evidently joking, and those outraged are being oversensitive. The 62-year-old's remark could be interpreted as admiration for Djokovic, since he implied that Martinez had no realistic chance of winning without his legendary opponent becoming injured. Masur will almost certainly not face any serious consequences for the brief moment. Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with the backlash from some Djokovic fans online, it is not nearly enough for a man to lose his job, and nor should it be. Novak Djokovic boycotted an interview at the 2025 Australian Open in protest at reporter's actions It has been 12 months since Novak Djokovic refused to do an on-court interview at the 2025 Australian Open with four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier, who was working for rights holder Channel 9. This was caused by the behavior of the channel's reporter, Tony Jones, who was reporting on the day's actions in Melbourne with several Serbian fans behind him who were all there to watch Djokovic. Jones caused huge controversy when he turned around to the Serbian supporters and chanted, "Novak, he's overrated! Novak's a has-been! Novak, kick him out!" before turning to the camera and saying, "Boy, I'm glad they can't hear me." The reporter jokingly calling Djokovic overrated and a has-been might have blown over quickly, but the use of "kick him out" was an obvious reference to the 38-year-old being deported from Australia before the 2023 Australian Open after a stressful and polarizing saga. Djokovic claimed he boycotted the interview because Jones was insulting to the Serbian fans, but personal hurt over the use of "kick him out" probably also played a role. He ended the boycott before his next match after accepting an apology from Jones.

Jannik Sinner just faced probably the most bizarre question of his entire tennis career during the 2026 Australian Open. Tennis players, athletes, and celebrities in general are accustomed to facing numerous questions throughout their careers. Depending on the setting, the nature of the question can differ. For example, the questions asked on official channels, during on-court interviews, and at press conferences are usually quite professional, while those asked in social media appearances can be quite creative. Sinner started his 2026 Australian Open campaign with a quick win over Hugo Gaston, who retired after two sets, which the Italian player won 6-2, 6-1. The ATP world No. 2, therefore, had some extra time, which he spent by joining the official Australian Open show. The four-time major winner appeared on the "Pod Laver Arena" podcast, in which he went through multiple different segments, facing many different questions. One of those was related to his ATP colleague Nick Kyrgios. Kyrgios has been one of the loudest Sinner's critics in relation to the Italian's doping case. He openly questions Sinner's explanation of how he got contaminated, and the Australian didn't often mince words when talking about Sinner. That's probably why the presenters on the "Pod Laver Arena" podcast thought it would be funny to ask Sinner, as part of the "Would you Rafter?" segment, whether he would prefer to play doubles with Kyrgios or North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. "We have been playing a game here on the Pod Laver Arena, it's 'Would you Rafter?' doubles edition, where we put two people on the screen, and you tell us who you would rather be doubles partners with. So, up on the screen we have now Nick Kyrgios and Kim Jong Un." Sinner was probably shocked to hear the question, especially on the official Australian Open show. It also put him in an awkward position, as he probably also wanted to avoid saying anything controversial in relation to Kim Jong Un. The Italian player handled the answer as a professional, saying he would choose Kyrgios as a doubles partner, because he doesn't want to lose the match, and the Australian is obviously the more skilled on the tennis court out of the two options. "Well, playing tennis, definitely with Nick, I don't wanna lose. I don't wanna lose. But also to hang out, honestly." However, the damage has been done already. The tennis community all over social media voiced their disapproval with the question asked, even though the two-time Australian Open champion avoided any huge controversy with his answer. The presenters on the "Pod Laver Arena" podcast will likely hear about the controversy and think twice before asking similar questions in the upcoming shows. It might become challenging to secure any players to appear on the show if they have to face similarly uncomfortable and bizarre questions.

Felix Auger-Aliassime's 2026 Australian Open campaign ended in the worst possible fashion when he retired in the opening round, and the Canadian talked about the situation afterward. Auger-Aliassime might have started the year with newfound belief due to an excellent second half of 2025. After a mainly challenging 18 months preceding that, he qualified for the 2025 ATP Finals with a succession of impressive results. His achievements included reaching the 2025 US Open semifinals and the 2025 Paris Masters final. Auger-Aliassime's chances of winning the title in the French capital were effectively ended by a leg injury that made competing with Jannik Sinner impossible. He lost that final 0-6, 2-6. The 25-year-old made a positive start against Nuno Borges at the Australian Open by taking the opening set 6-3. Unfortunately, the leg injury he struggled with in Paris resurfaced, making it challenging for him to run properly. Although he stayed competitive in the next two sets, losing them 4-6, 4-6, Auger-Aliassime determined it was not worth completing the match. He retired at 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, handing Borges victory. In his post-match press conference, Auger-Aliassime was very upset by having to retire, especially because he did not entirely know the reason for his persistent leg issue. He will work to find the answer in the coming days and weeks. "I want to be on the court competing with my opponent. I don’t want to be just standing there, you know, like a punching bag. So there’s no point. I don’t have all the answers now. I’m trying to be very professional at everything I do, prepare well. I love this sport, and I love to play. So I try to do everything I can in my control to get ready." "It hurts even more, because you know, if I wasn’t really ready or I wasn’t doing everything, then you have to be honest with yourself. But even with being honest with myself, I’m not totally finding the reasons why this is happening. It wasn’t happening in the past, so I’ll have to figure it out." Auger-Aliassime will try to ensure this setback does not derail his 2025 season. Since he has many points to defend later in the year, the Canadian's best chance of moving up the rankings is in the opening few months. Matteo Berrettini withdrew from the 2026 Australian Open The opening few days of the 2026 Australian Open were highly entertaining, but they might have been even better had it not been for a few withdrawals. Among the most notable of these came from Matteo Berrettini. Although the Italian was in the initial draw, he ultimately withdrew because of pain in his obliques. Berrettini also suffered with that problem in 2025, and its persistence must be concerning for a man who has been repeatedly unlucky with injuries for the past few years. Jack Draper's withdrawal was among the most notable of those that occurred before the draw. He has not played since the opening round of the 2025 US Open because of an arm injury, despite initially hoping to be back for the start of 2026.

Andrey Rublev was very honest during his most recent on-court interview at the 2026 Australian Open. Rublev might be one of the best tennis players ever, who never made it past the quarter-final stage at a Grand Slam. He is a 10-time quarter-finalist, having played at least one quarter-final at each major tournament. This year, he will attempt to finally end that streak of quarter-final losses. He gets his first chance at the Australian Open. In his first match at the "Happy Slam," Rublev beat Matteo Arnaldi in three straightforward sets, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. However, his performance wasn't the highlight of the day. Rublev is an honest man, and that was on full display during his post-match on-court interview. The Russian player was asked about playing Jaime Faria in the next round, a player ranked 151st on the ATP Tour, who made it into the main draw through the qualifying. Rublev admitted that he isn't familiar with Faria or his game, so he will have to analyze his next opponent's game. At the same time, Rublev knows that when playing against underdogs, he has the match on his racket, so he will mainly focus on bringing his A-game. "I don’t know who I’m playing because I didn’t check the draw. You told me the name, and I still don’t know the guy. So I will need to check, to do some research, to see how he's playing." "Then, obviously, of course, it's always about me, and doesn't matter, of course, you can have a tactic, but then it's about you, if you're going to do it, or if you're going to miss balls." The interview continued quite hilariously when Rublev didn't know how to answer the following question about the conditions in Melbourne, even joking that he didn't feel connected with the interviewer. "It's true we don't have a lot of connection. I don't know what to say, conditions, it's Australia. It's outdoors. Of course it's different, sometimes it's super hot, then it's super windy, then it's cloudy. It's a part of the sport, I don't know, you've been watching tennis for many years." Rublev might play a more well-known opponent if he makes it to the next rounds. His next opponent could be the 18th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo, and after that, Rublev could play back-to-back matches against Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev, two players he knows very well. Rublev is even a godfather to Medvedev's daughter, Alisa, and the two have a great relationship. If they meet at this year's Australian Open, it would be in the quarter-finals, the stage that still remains a hurdle for Rublev.