Daily Dose of Social Media: Federer and Alcaraz team up for training session

Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz starred in the pre-Laver Cup activities after training together, while the Swiss reconnected with Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. Today, in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and entertainment from ATP and WTA players.

Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov played a charity exhibition in Bulgaria and had fun with custom denim jackets at the gala before the match. On the other hand, Coco Gauff explained the reasons behind her 'not fancy' signature when giving autographs, while Leylah Fernandez showcased her training routine in detail.  

Carlos Alcaraz and Flavio Cobolli participated in one of the pre-Laver Cup activities, joining players from Union Berlin FC. The 4-time Grand Slam champion stole the spotlight playing football-tennis alongside Cobolli and members of the German football team.

Alcaraz will be the biggest star in the upcoming Laver Cup, which will take place over the weekend from September 20 to 22. The Spaniard will lead Team Europe in an attempt to end the streak of two consecutive defeats in 2022 and 2023, while Cobolli was one of the latest stars confirmed for the tournament. However, he is currently an alternate and will have to wait for a European player to withdraw in order to step onto the court.

You can find the exciting video of Alcaraz and Cobolli showing off their football skills on the Laver Cup's social media, with a standout performance from the Spanish player.

Roger Federer, the main host, arrived at the Laver Cup, met with captains Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, and even hit balls with Carlos Alcaraz. The 20-time Grand Slam champion is marking two years since his retirement, following an emotional Laver Cup in 2022, where he ended his career with a memorable doubles match alongside Rafael Nadal.

Federer was the driving force behind the creation of the tournament seven years ago, and despite his retirement, he remains actively involved in its development. The Swiss Maestro is already participating in pre-tournament activities, visiting the main court and interacting with captains Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe ahead of the tournament’s start.

The former world No. 1 also engaged in an intergenerational practice session with Carlos Alcaraz, none other than on the grass courts of the Halle Open in Berlin, where Federer claimed the title ten times. The Laver Cup will begin on Friday, September 20, featuring stars like Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, and Frances Tiafoe, among others.

Grigor Dimitrov shared a video alongside Novak Djokovic ahead of their exhibition match in Sofia, Bulgaria, for Dimitrov's foundation. The 24-time Grand Slam champion accepted his colleague’s invitation to this charity event for the Grigor Dimitrov Foundation. A day earlier, Djokovic, upon arriving in Bulgaria, shared a TikTok video showcasing his impressive language skills as he sang and danced in Bulgarian, tagging Dimitrov to get his feedback.

At the Postbank Visa Tennis Gala, both players surprised fans with their custom denim jackets, further showcasing their friendship off the court. Dimitrov hyped up the upcoming exhibition by sharing a video on social media of the two enjoying themselves in the Arena Sofia, with numerous photos of them together circulating online.

Coco Gauff is not experiencing her best moment on the tour, following inconsistent results in the US Open Series, which caused her to drop several spots in the rankings to world No. 6, as she failed to defend any of the three titles she won last year, including the US Open.

As she prepares for the Asian Swing, where she aims to regain ground among the top players, Coco Gauff explained in a brief interview why her signature stands out. The 20-year-old American promoted the new Topps Tennis trading cards, where fans can buy packs featuring their favorite players.

"I try to make it as easy to read as possible because growing up, I would collect autographs from tennis players, and I could never remember who signed what, because the signatures were all wonky and fancy. So I’m sorry my signature is not as fancy as other players. I try to keep it simple so it’s identifiable. That’s my own reasoning for how I came up with my signature."

Leylah Fernandez shared with her fans details of her pre-match warm-ups in an Instagram video. The world No. 28 had an early exit at the US Open, being surprised by Russian Anastasia Potapova in the first round. Fernandez took a few weeks off from competition to prepare for the final part of the season, with her next commitment being the China Open starting on September 23.

The Canadian continues her training and remains active on social media. Recently, she showed a typical warm-up routine, which includes muscle exercises with elastic bands, stretches, explosive and reaction drills, among others. “Warming up is no joke! I usually warm up for up to a whole hour before I even step on the tennis court 🙈🎾”

Alycia Parks participated in a photoshoot for the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) and spoke about her on-court looks: “If you look good, you play good. I like to get my hair done, change colors, make a statement because I want to stand out and not be in the mix,” she said.

When asked how she would define her style, Alycia Parks replied: “My personal style I think is loud and cute and to stand out. I had on like a skirt and a jacket, like a two-piece, and I was so scared to wear it out. When I went out, everyone loved it. So that was something that is new for me.”

The world No. 116 returns to competition in a week at the China Open, where she will need to pass qualifying to enter the main draw. Her last appearance was at the Thailand Open, where she lost in the first round to Laura Siegemund.