Raducanu’s Return, Serena’s Tweet, Nadal’s Resolve, and Djokovic’s Pursuit

Here are this week’s top stories in tennis

Former world No.10 Emma Raducanu, plans to make her return to tennis next season after dealing with multiple injuries. She had surgery on her ankle and wrists in May, causing her to miss three of the four Grand Slam tournaments this season. Raducanu expressed her determination to return to better form and emphasized her dream of winning Wimbledon. “Wimbledon is the dream and always has been growing up. It’s still the ultimate dream to win Wimbledon,” she said. Despite dropping outside the world’s top 200, she remains motivated Asked about how she deals with criticism, Raducanu said: “The fact they are still talking about me even though I’m not at these events is just a compliment. Someone told me ‘worry when they are not talking about you’.” Raducanu told the BBC.

World No.25 Sorana Cirstea has criticised Serena Williams for her response to Simona Halep’s four-year doping ban. Halep, a former world No.1 and two-time Grand Slam champion, received the ban for testing positive for a blood-boosting drug and Athlete Biological Passport irregularities. Serena Williams’ tweet, “8 is a better number,” in reference to Halep’s ban and her own seven Wimbledon titles, was perceived as contentious by Cirstea, who called it an example of Williams’ arrogance. Cirstea defended Halep, stating she doesn’t believe Halep consciously doped and argued that the suspension was unjust for an innocent person.

22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal had initially hinted at retiring from professional tennis in 2024. However, he now suggests that he might continue playing beyond 2024 if he can compete at a level that excites him. Nadal has faced various injuries over the past year, which have kept him off the court for most of 2023. He acknowledges that Novak Djokovic’s successes are partly due to better care of his body during his career. Nadal continued: “I think that with respect to titles, Djokovic is the best in history and there is nothing to discuss about that.”

Rennae Stubbs, former doubles World No. 1 and four-time doubles Grand Slam winner, has marvelled at Novak Djokovic and his relentless pursuit of titles stating, “His (Djokovic’s) numbers are just incredible and no matter how or what, he’s very polarising in a lot of ways to a lot of people, but for me, as a former pro and somebody who has watched this game for a really long time, you just have to marvel at his ability to just never quit and he’s relentless.” Stubbs emphasised Djokovic’s relentlessness and dedication to achieving remarkable numbers in the sport of tennis.

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