Rafael Nadal’s retirement seemingly takes toll on Nick Kyrgios’ motivation; Aryna Sabalenka booed at Wuhan Open for controversial ball kid behavior

Rafael Nadal’s retirement announcement had a profound impact on his colleague Nick Kyrgios, who admitted that his motivation suffered as a result of the news. Aryna Sabalenka sparked controversy at the Wuhan Open due to her contentious interaction with a ball kid.

Coco Gauff brushed off concerns regarding her serving struggles after Sabalenka expressed sympathy following her victory over the American in Wuhan. In a lighter moment, Tomas Machac humorously accused Jannik Sinner of breaking his racket during the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters.

On that note, here’s a quick recap of the day’s biggest headlines:

Rafael Nadal’s retirement announcement hits Nick Kyrgios’ motivation hard

Rafael Nadal sent shockwaves through the tennis world with his announcement that he would retire from professional tennis at the end of the 2024 season. His final tournament will be the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain, this November.

The Spaniard posted a video message on his social media accounts and said:

“Hello everyone, I’m here to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations.”

“It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end and I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined,” he added.

Nick Kyrgios has been vocal about his disappointment regarding Nadal’s retirement, often posting his thoughts online.

In a recent Instagram post, the Aussie shared a series of photos of their time together on the court, stating that Nadal has been one of his biggest sources of motivation, indicating that the Spaniard’s decision has impacted his own inspiration.

“Bye @rafaelnadal. Honestly you were one of my biggest motivation to get better. Goodluck with whatever comes next,” Kyrgios wrote in the caption.

Wuhan Open crowd boos Aryna Sabalenka after her interaction with ball girl

Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the final of the Wuhan Open after a challenging semifinal match against Coco Gauff. After dropping the first set 1-6, she rallied to take the next two sets 6-4, 6-4, securing her spot in the final.

However, Sabalenka found herself at the center of controversy during the match. In a crucial moment of the deciding set, she expressed frustration with a ball girl who took longer than usual to retrieve the balls.

She waved her hands in frustration, urging the ball girl to hurry up, and after finally getting the balls, she grabbed two and tossed one back. Her action generated a small but audible wave of boos from the Chinese fans in attendance.

Coco Gauff brushes aside concerns about her serve after losing to Aryna Sabalenka in Wuhan

Coco Gauff’s service game faltered dramatically during her semifinal match against Aryna Sabalenka at the Wuhan Open, resulting in 21 double faults. This sudden collapse proved costly as she struggled to regain her rhythm after winning the first set 6-1.

Sabalenka expressed her sympathy for Gauff’s struggles during her post-match press conference, saying:

“I was playing that match thinking, like, ‘Well, girl, I feel you. I feel you like nobody else.’ I know what she’s going through. This is really difficult. This is really tough. But I know that if she’ll be able to overcome this serve situation.”

Gauff later downplayed concerns about her serve, saying she was not “worried” and had found a solution. She added that she would focus on the positives from her run at the WTA 1000 tournament.

“Yeah, honestly, for me I’m not worried because I found the solution. I didn’t really have time to work on it. Yeah, I’m really happy with how the last couple weeks went. I’m just trying to be positive from there,” she said in a presser.

Tomas Machac jokes about Jannik Sinner breaking his racket during Shanghai Masters SF

Jannik Sinner faced off against Tomas Machac in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters, securing a 6-4, 7-5 victory to reach the final, where he will compete against Novak Djokovic.

The match drew extra attention with Roger Federer watching from the stands, and Tomas Machac kept things lively with his amusing behavior. At one point, he humorously called for more cheers in his direction instead of the Swiss’.

The most memorable moment came when Machac jokingly accused Sinner of playing rallies too quickly, claiming it was the reason his racket broke during the match.

“Too fast, the rallies is too fast the racquet is broken, you play too fast,” the World No. 33 said.

Edited by Pritha Ghosh