Tennis News Today: Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open Shocker, Iga Swiatek Breaking Down in Tears, and Coco Gauff’s Auckland Glory

With the 2024 tennis season underway, fans saw their favorite stars start their journey to the Australian Open with a plethora of tournaments. Whether it be the Brisbane International, the United Cup, or the WTA Auckland Classic, here are all the tennis news updates you need.

Rafael Nadal’s injury woes force him out of the Australian Open

Arguably the biggest tennis news, Rafael Nadal made fans’ biggest worry come true. The King of Clay has another injury, this one forcing him to the sidelines for the Australian Open. While it was not his hip that was the issue, the troubling muscle tear that showed itself in the Brisbane International  materialized in an MRI, as the Spanish maestro revealed on Instagram.

Despite Nadal not competing at the Australian Open, there is a good chance he may be back in time to compete at the Roland-Garros. His ideal timeline puts recovery at three months, meaning an April return, just in time for the French Open.

After obvious struggles seen during his loss against Thompson, fans remained worried about Nadal having to play in five sets. It was this concern that the King of Clay shared, a concern that has seen him pack up his bags from Australia and head back to Spain. The tennis world hopes to see Rafael Nadal return in all his glory, perhaps even to win a record-breaking 15th French Open.

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Coco Gauff takes the crown in Auckland

After dominating the early stages, Gauff made it to the final without breaking a sweat. The final was where she had a real challenge on her hands. Pitted against Elina Svitolina, Coco Gauff had a challenge on her hands. Even after losing the first set, Coco Gauff remained resolute, standing her ground and taking the second set by storm.

In a complete back-and-forth game, Gauff finally took the third set, declaring herself the undisputed champion of the WTA Auckland Classic. With this win, Coco Gauff broke a record that had in place for decades. She became the first American to win the tournament back-to-back, ever since Patty Fendick performed the feat in 1988 and 1989.

Following her win, Gauff reflected on her first title defense, taking it in with humility. She went on to say, “I think today level-wise was definitely not my best match or best level this week, but sometimes when you win when you’re not playing your best, it makes you feel more satisfied.”

A tournament victory ahead of the Australian Open puts Gauff in a favorable position. Fans hope that this wave of victories spills over to Melbourne, where an even tougher fight will be waiting for Gauff, as WTA stars such as Iga Swiatek, Emma Raducanu, Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, and more lie in store.

Iga Swiatek left in tears as Germany take their maiden United Win

After an exciting week of United Cup matches, Germany took the trophy, coming back from a deficit to win their first United Cup title. Following the loss, Iga Swiatek was seen in tears, after embarking on a tremendous journey with the Polish team at the event.

Iga Swiatek had kicked things past Angelique Kerber to put Poland comfortably in the driving seat. However, Alexander Zverev‘s heroics brought Germany back into the fight. Saving championship points on two separate occasions, Zverev managed to claw back a point for Germany, putting the competitors at level pegging.

It culminated in a final mixed doubles event, where the winner would determine the champion. Unfortunately for Swiatek, the mixed doubles match ended up in a loss, giving Germany their first United Cup win by the barest of margins.

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