Every week in the tennis world, countless stories and news emerge that don’t always make headlines but are too intriguing to overlook. It can be on-court or off-court developments that go under the radar due to bigger storylines from the past week. This edition features three interesting stories involving Elena Rybakina, Alexander Zverev and Fernando Verdasco.
Tennis News Weekly Roundup
Fernando Verdasco to play his last tournament in Doha alongside Novak Djokovic
Fernando Verdasco posted a reel on his Instagram account with Novak Djokovic, where he announced that the 2025 Qatar ExxonMobil Open would be his final tournament. Verdasco will play doubles alongside Novak Djokovic in the tournament. The Spaniard last played in the 2023 Barcelona Open and has been inactive since.
Verdasco has been a great ambassador of Spanish tennis and enjoyed an illustrious career. He is a former top 10 player and has won seven singles and 8 doubles titles. His best result in Grand Slams came in the 2009 Australian Open where he lost in the semifinal against Rafael Nadal. That match is still considered one of the best of this century. Playing his last professional event alongside Djokovic would mean a lot to Verdasco.
Zverev Criticises the Buenos Aires Crowd
World No.2, Alexander Zverev is playing the Golden Swing for the first time. He lost to Francisco Cerundolo in the quarterfinals of the Argentina Open held in Buenos Aires and was unhappy with the treatment he received from the crowd during the match. Zverev was initially in control of the match, leading with a set and a break in the second set but Cerundolo’s resolve backed by the crowd support helped him to turn around the match while Zverev started to lose composure and faded. Zverev looked super frustrated in the deciding set and was heard saying “Respect the players a little” towards the crowd.
After the match, Zverev told the media: “I loved Argentina. The only problem is that the public doesn’t know how to behave during a tennis match and that’s a bit sad since the organization is brilliant, the tournament is excellent and the people who work here are incredible, but the public makes it very difficult for you if you’re not Argentine.” Zverev didn’t say he lost the match because of the crowd and gave props to Cerundolo for adjusting to the windy conditions better.
The one single impact the crowd had was what seemed like dozens of people constantly whistling between Zverev’s first and second serve every single time. It was highly inappropriate and honestly just awkward. It was the same when Holger Rune played. The crowd whistled on almost every second serve. Even someone saying something inappropriate to Rune later on in the second set. South American fans bring a lot of energy to the match and go out of their way to cheer on their players, but it can be overwhelming for the opponents.
WTA Bans Rybakina’s Former Coach for a year
The WTA placed a provisional suspension on Stefano Vukov, Elena Rybakina’s former long-term coach in January and following the conclusion of the investigation into a potential breach of its code of conduct, the WTA has decided to uphold the suspension. They have not specified the length of the ban but according to The New York Times, it’s a one-year ban. Vukov won’t be able to coach and get credentials for professional tennis events.
“I’m just disappointed with the situation, and how the process went. I’m not going to comment much more,” Rybakina said when asked about it at the Qatar Open. The dynamic between Vukov and Rybakina has been the subject of significant tabloid fodder since the suspension was initiated in January.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
