Tennis
Mirra Andreeva Reveals Superstitions That Coach Conchita Martinez Finds Difficult
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Mirra Andreeva recently opened up about her superstitions around food, a habit her coach, Conchita Martinez, has been trying to manage.
Andreeva began working with Martinez, the 1994 Wimbledon champion, in April last year. The partnership was widely seen as a positive step for the young star’s career from the moment it was announced.
However, Martinez wasn’t Andreeva’s first choice. Former world No. 1 Dinara Safina revealed that Andreeva had initially approached her for the coaching role, but Safina couldn’t commit.
Similarly, three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters shared that Andreeva had also reached out to her. These efforts underscored the 17-year-old’s determination to find a coach with top-level experience.
Since teaming up with Martinez, Andreeva has made impressive strides. She reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open last year, defeating Aryna Sabalenka along the way. She also claimed her maiden WTA title at the Iasi Open and came close to winning a WTA 500 title at the Ningbo Open, where she narrowly lost to Daria Kasatkina after leading 3-0 in the final set.
The Ningbo final was an emotional moment for Andreeva, who broke down in tears during the post-match ceremony. Kasatkina offered her comfort during the press conference, a gesture Andreeva later reflected on with gratitude.
Andreeva admits she can be a challenging player to coach at times due to her emotional nature and occasional teenage outbursts, which sometimes leave Martinez puzzled.
At the Australian Open, she revealed that her superstitions extend to food, insisting on eating the same meals and snacks during tournaments—a quirk that adds another layer of complexity to their partnership.
“It’s pretty complicated to work with me, because if I start the tournament eating chicken and rice, well, I cannot change after I cannot take pasta or I cannot take anything else. I will always take chicken and rice.”
“If I start like this, I’ve got to continue like this. Even if I’m tired, I have no choice, but I have to eat it. Today I start with dried fruits(for on-court snack) so it is dried fruits for Melbourne this year.”
Despite her efforts to break Andreeva’s food superstitions, Conchita Martinez, the former Wimbledon champion, has ended up embracing them in an unexpected way.
After accidentally spilling some powder on a desk while making one of Andreeva’s recovery shakes, Martinez now deliberately spills a little before preparing every shake as part of their routine.
Andreeva’s age and quirky habits don’t hinder the strong bond she shares with her coach. The Ningbo Open runner-up revealed that she feels at ease expressing her emotions with Martinez.
Their relationship strikes a balance between hard work and fun, creating a supportive and enjoyable dynamic both on and off the court.
“I feel very comfortable telling her everything that happens in my life. I don’t know if she wants to hear it, though! But I’m very comfortable sharing with her everything that’s going on.”
“We let ourselves joke around and have some fun. Of course she’s very professional, she knows when the fun is over and when we need to really put the work in, for example, in a tennis court. When we’re off the tennis court, we can have some fun, but of course we also need to take it serious sometimes.”
Tennis
Tennis tournament plagued by food poisoning as three top stars drop out
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The Mexican Open faced a setback on Wednesday as food poisoning led to several top-seeded players withdrawing before or during their matches.
Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul were unable to compete in their last-16 matches, allowing their opponents to advance to the quarter-finals without playing.
Meanwhile, fourth seed Holger Rune managed only three games before retiring, later confirming that he, too, was affected by food poisoning.
“Furious and so sad at the same time. Had a food poisoning and was unable to play today,” the 21-year-old tweeted.
“One of my favorite places is Mexico and I love this tournament @AbiertoTelcel . Absolutely not the way I wanted it to end.”
Third-seeded Tommy Paul withdrew from the Acapulco tournament due to stomach issues, while World No. 5 Casper Ruud revealed he had been dealing with an illness for the past day.
Sharing the news on Instagram, the three-time Grand Slam finalist wrote, “I’m so sorry I had to pull out tonight.”
“I was hoping to overcome this stomach illness that showed up yesterday and tried everything I could to be able to play tonight, until the very last moment.”
The tournament saw more big names exit on Wednesday, as top seed Alexander Zverev was upset in straight sets by teenage qualifier Learner Tien. Reports suggested Zverev may have also been affected by food poisoning.
Rising American talent Alex Michelsen fell to Denis Shapovalov in three sets, calling for a trainer during the match due to what appeared to be an illness.
Meanwhile, fifth seed Ben Shelton was eliminated by David Goffin, though his loss was not believed to be illness-related.
Following the wave of withdrawals and upsets in Acapulco, organizers of the MGM Rewards Slam exhibition in Las Vegas postponed this weekend’s men’s event. Zverev, Ruud, and Paul, who were all scheduled to compete, are now thought to be dealing with food poisoning. Taylor Fritz was also in the lineup but had already pulled out earlier in the week due to an abdominal injury.
The four top players were originally set to face off in Las Vegas on Sunday, but a new date for the event has not been announced. However, the MGM Rewards Slam women’s match between Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka will still take place on Saturday.
Tennis
The 6 women to be ranked at No 1 in singles and doubles at same time
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Reaching the No. 1 spot in the WTA singles rankings is an incredible accomplishment—but imagine being the top-ranked doubles player as well. That alone is an impressive feat.
Now, take it a step further—being ranked No. 1 in both singles and doubles at the same time. Only six women in history have achieved this extraordinary milestone, with one of them standing in a league of her own.
Since the WTA Rankings were introduced in 1975, a total of 29 women have held the No. 1 singles ranking, while 49 players have led the doubles rankings. However, only eight players have reached the top in both categories, and just six of them managed to do so simultaneously.
Current singles world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has also achieved the rare singles-doubles No. 1 double, but not at the same time—she reached the top in doubles in 2021 before securing the No. 1 singles ranking in 2024.
Similarly, Venus Williams is missing from the list, as she was No. 1 in doubles from June to August 2010, but her singles No. 1 reign came in 2002.
The 6 women to be ranked at No 1 in singles and doubles at the same time:
5. Kim Clijsters – 3 weeks
Belgian tennis legend Kim Clijsters is a six-time Grand Slam champion, having won four singles titles and two doubles titles in her illustrious career.
She held the No. 1 spot in singles for a total of 20 weeks and topped the doubles rankings for four weeks. Impressively, she was ranked No. 1 in both categories simultaneously for three weeks.
Clijsters achieved this rare feat from August 18 to September 7, 2003.
5. Lindsay Davenport – 3 weeks
Lindsay Davenport sits joint-fifth for holding the world No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles simultaneously for three weeks.
The American first claimed the No. 1 spot in doubles in 1997, followed by her singles No. 1 debut in 1998. However, she achieved the rare singles-doubles No. 1 double from April 17 to May 7, 2000.
A three-time Grand Slam singles champion and three-time doubles major winner, Davenport spent a total of 98 weeks as the world No. 1 in singles and 32 weeks atop the doubles rankings.
4. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario – 7 weeks
Spanish legend Arantxa Sánchez Vicario achieved the rare feat of holding the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles on three separate occasions.
In total, she spent 111 weeks as the world No. 1 in doubles and 12 weeks at the top in singles.
Her first singles-doubles No. 1 stint lasted one week in February 1995 (13-19), followed by a two-week reign from March 27 to April 9. She then had her longest stretch, four weeks from May 15 to June 11, cementing her place among the sport’s elite.
3. Serena Williams – 8 weeks
Tennis icon Serena Williams amassed an incredible 23 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 doubles major titles, all won alongside her sister Venus Williams. She also completed both the singles and doubles Career Grand Slam.
Williams held the world No. 1 singles ranking for 319 weeks, the third-most in WTA history behind Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova. In doubles, she spent eight weeks at No. 1, all between June 7 and August 1, 2010, a period when she was also the top-ranked singles player.
2. Martina Hingis – 29 weeks
Martina Hingis ranks fifth all-time for the most weeks spent as world No. 1 in singles, holding the top spot for 209 weeks. She also enjoyed 90 weeks as the No. 1 doubles player.
The Swiss star won a total of five Grand Slam singles titles, 13 women’s doubles titles, and seven mixed doubles titles, with a career spanning from January 1997 to September 2017.
Hingis achieved the rare feat of being No. 1 in both singles and doubles simultaneously on five separate occasions. Her first stint lasted eight weeks from June 8 to August 2, 1998, followed by another eight-week period from August 17 to October 11.
In 1999, she topped both rankings for four weeks (June 7 – July 4) and again for two weeks (August 9-22). Her final seven-week reign at the top of both rankings occurred from January 31 to March 19, 2000.
1. Martina Navratilova – 103 weeks
Martina Navratilova cemented her legacy as one of tennis’ greatest players, winning 59 Grand Slam titles—18 in singles, 31 in women’s doubles, and 10 in mixed doubles.
She dominated the No. 1 rankings, spending 332 weeks atop the singles list (second only to Steffi Graf’s 377 weeks) and holding the No. 1 doubles spot for a record 237 weeks.
Navratilova was the first player to achieve the remarkable feat of being No. 1 in both singles and doubles simultaneously, and her reigns were nothing short of historic. Her first stint lasted an incredible 39 weeks, from September 10, 1984, to June 9, 1985. She briefly returned to the top in both rankings for two weeks (October 14-27, 1985).
Her third spell was the most dominant, as she held both No. 1 rankings for over a year, from June 9, 1986, to August 16, 1987—a record-breaking reign.
Tennis
Novak Djokovic told ’emotional’ issue which ‘usually never happened’ has emerged
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Former world No. 21 Steve Johnson has raised doubts about Novak Djokovic’s “plan,” questioning the Serbian’s decision to compete at the Qatar Open.
Djokovic suffered a 7-6(4), 6-2 defeat to Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the ATP 500 event in Doha last week. His participation in Qatar came shortly after a hamstring tear forced him out of the Australian Open.
The 37-year-old sustained the injury during his quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz in Melbourne but was unable to continue past the opening set of his semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev.
Despite Djokovic insisting he felt fine following his early exit in Doha, a video surfaced showing him limping at the airport.
With his sights set on a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title and his 100th career singles title in 2025, Djokovic’s recent form has raised concerns. Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, Johnson noted that the world No. 7 has appeared emotionally flat more frequently in recent times.
“I am not sure what Novak’s plan is going forward, nobody knows it but him,” the American said. “I don’t know why he is playing this tournament just in general.
“It feels like he just wants to win Slams to continue his legacy and stamp as the greatest champion of the sport we have ever seen.
“There is obviously financial obligations and commitments he has made in the past, we don’t know exactly what it takes for him to play these types of events.
“It just feels as if he is not as motivated to win in Dubai or Doha than he is to win a Slam, which is rightfully so, because that’s the only thing which can further his legacy.
“Good to see him out there playing, I thought we weren’t going to see him until Indian Wells and just play some of the Masters series to win the French [Open], win Wimby [Wimbledon]. So interesting to see him out there.
“It sometimes feels that he is a bit flat emotionally, which has usually never been the case for him.
“So he has earned the right to play whatever schedule he deserves and wants to do.
“It’s a tough draw going against Berrettini who played really well that match, the serve, the forehand. Everything was going well.
“So it’s just interesting to watch Novak in these events because the Doha title is not going to further his legacy, so I’m not sure his emotional investment.”
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