Tennis News: Anna Kournikova, Mirra Andreeva and Novak Djokovic

We can put this in the cabinet that reads "Overblown stories of 2025." If you do a Google search of "tennis news," a few of the top results will be some news about Anna Kournikova. The headlines are jolting and can cause a bit of worry. They are also written in a way they likely should not be.

For instance, the Daily Star's headline reads, "Tennis star Anna Kournikova seen for first time in two years but sparks major health fears." The article is not clickbait because it does discuss a recent injury of Kournikova's, but the headline scares when it should not.

The situation is that the former player was photographed in Miami with her two daughters while Kournikova was in a wheelchair. She had a boot on her right leg. She in no way looks to be having "major" health concerns, at least based on the photo, and instead simply seems as if he had some kind of injury.

Anna Kournikova was hurt, Mirra Andreeva adds a sponsor, and Novak Djokovic deals with "mistrust"

Kournikova has always created a media storm. Many times, she did not even ask for attention, but the cameras followed her. What needs to stop is a tabloid giving readers worries that she (or any other person) is having health issues simply because they are photographed while wearing a walking boot.

Someone who appears perfectly healthy currently is 17-year-old budding star Mirra Andreeva. Plus, she has high expectations from many, and that includes sponsors. They are willing to pay top dollar for the teenager to sport their brands. That list now includes Rolex.

Andreeva announced on social media that she had signed with the watch company. Some of the other players Rolex currently sponsors are Roger Federer, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek. In other words, Andreeva is in good company.

Novak Djokovic is not sponsored by Rolex (he wears Hublot), and that would not have been a reason for fans at the Australian Open to boo him. Yet, those fans did after the Serb retired after playing a set in his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev. Djokovic was injured in the quarterfinals, so his appearance in the semis could not have happened at all.

Former Rafael Nadal coach Toni Nadal has a theory for the booing. In an article he wrote for El Pais, Nadal says that the 24-time Grand Slam champion was likely being booed because of a "mistrust" between the player and Australian tennis fans.

Nadal wrote, "First of all, I understand that the public showed their disappointment and anger at being deprived of the expected spectacle after having paid a ticket for it. But the second and probably most important reason, is that over the years, there’s been a certain mistrust surrounding Novak, due to his grimaces or histrionics, which has raised doubts about the true extent of his injuries."

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