Australian Open 2017, Day 4 Highlights: Serena Williams' Twitter wish, flu-hit Milos Raonic and more

Here’s a look at some interesting stories from Day 4 of the Australian Open that you may have missed. The Greatest [caption id=“attachment_3212366” align=“alignleft” width=“381”] Serena Williams of the US at the Australian Open. AFP[/caption] Serena Williams said she wished Twitter had been invented in Muhammad Ali’s day. Asked who she would have followed if Twitter was around when she was young, she said: “Every girl on tour would have followed Monica Seles, I think, for sure. I would have followed Steffi (Graf). I would have followed Zina (Garrison). So many people I would have followed. Muhammad Ali, can you imagine?” Williams, who has more than 7,600,000 followers on Twitter, said social media was one of her most important assets. “I think it’s not only enjoyable, but I think it’s a good opportunity to most importantly stand up for social issues and things that I find important,” she said. Big words Japanese teenager Naomi Osaka said she felt intimidated by Johanna Konta using “big words” before her defeat by the British world number nine. “I heard her talk, and she sounds really intelligent. It’s just, like, oh, my God, I sound illiterate or something,” said the Florida-based 19-year-old. “She uses big words, you know. Like, big words. Like, I can’t say the words that she’s saying. It’s so hard to explain. She uses big words in her accent, and it sounds really smart.” Tween peaks Agnieszka Radwanska may have been sent packing in the second round on Thursday but her sensational ’tweener’, or between-the-legs shot, remains the unofficial play of the tournament so far. Poland’s Radwanska, nicknamed “The Ninja” for her shot-making, was playing Tsvetana Pironkova in the first round when she chased down a ball on the baseline and instinctively flicked it back between her legs for a brilliant winner. The tweener has been prominent in Melbourne, with Dominic Thiem also successfully using one during his win over Jordan Thompson. But a Nick Kyrgios tweener was less well received when he played the shot unnecessarily in his five-set defeat to Andreas Seppi, in which he was accused of being too casual.

The whole rally with this incredible tweener 😌 pic.twitter.com/hHaOuC8WC3

— Aga Radwanska (@agnieszkafans) January 17, 2017

Flu-hit Raonic is not to be sniffed at Milos Raonic gave few signs he was suffering from ‘flu as he floored Gilles Muller to reach the third round of the Australian Open without dropping a set on Thursday. The tall Canadian beat Luxembourg’s Muller 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) to continue his smooth progress in Melbourne. Raonic revealed he was also under the weather during his impressive win, in which his serve went unbroken. “Today was just get through the day,” said the third seed, adding he was taking “everything (he) could… Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, something to protect my stomach”. Raonic, 26, was hampered by injury when he lost to Andy Murray in last year’s semis, and he lost again to the Briton in the Wimbledon final. His next opponent is the awkward Frenchman Gilles Simon, who took eventual winner Novak Djokovic to five sets in the fourth round last year.

Attendance: Day: 48,728; Night: 28,589. TOTAL: 77,317. Stat of the day: 1 — Denis Istomin’s first win over Djokovic was also his first win over a top 10 player in a major.