Daily Dose of Social Media: Thunderous welcome for Djokovic at Euroleague, Gauff and Zheng’s Orange Bowl throwback photo
ATPFriday, 08 November 2024 at 23:30
Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and Entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Novak
Djokovic ended his season and attended a Euroleague basketball game in Serbia,
where he received an incredible ovation from the locals. His fellow ATP Finals
competitors also participated in a fun Q&A video and picked their favorite
footballers for a 5-a-side team.
On the
other hand, the WTA Finals are reaching their climax with Zheng Qinwen and Coco
Gauff battling for the title, and a photo from their 6-year-old encounter at
the renowned 2018 Super Orange Bowl has resurfaced.
Djokovic receives thunderous welcome at Euroleague Basketball
Novak
Djokovic received an incredible ovation during his appearance at the Euroleague
basketball match between Crvena Zvezda and Alba in Belgrade. The 24-time Grand
Slam champion often attends sporting events as a spectator and took advantage
of his season break to enjoy a basketball game.
The Paris
2024 gold medalist is a national hero, and the crowd showed their admiration as
the entire stadium chanted Nole’s name. The 38-year-old Serbian decided not to
participate in the ATP Finals despite qualifying, thus ending his season early,
and will return to the courts in 2025.
“I am going
to play in the first week of the season, I am just not sure yet where. Then, of
course, the Australian Open,” Djokovic commented to Sport Klub, according to
Tennis Majors. “I told you guys that a million times. I would like to play the
Davis Cup too; let’s see what happens,” he added.
.@DjokerNole watching @EuroLeague game between Crvena Zvezda and Alba Berlin in Belgrade! ❤️🤍🇷🇸#kkcz #WeAreTheTeam pic.twitter.com/L72hZN3N48
— KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) November 7, 2024
Alcaraz and Medvedev set tone with thrilling practice rally
Carlos
Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev shared a new practice session ahead of the start of
the ATP Finals. The third and fourth seeds faced off in their final open-door
training session, thrilling the crowd, who cheered and applauded after an
impressive rally between the two players.
The Russian
will debut on Sunday against Taylor Fritz as part of the Ilie Nastase Group,
which also includes Jannik Sinner and Alex De Minaur. Meanwhile, Alcaraz will
play his first match on Monday against Casper Ruud in the John Newcombe Group,
where he will also face Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev.
Listen to the CROWD 🔊 🙌@carlosalcaraz & @DaniilMedwed are putting on a show! #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/6dHLp0yBqD
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 8, 2024
WTA Finals throwback: Gauff and Zheng’s 2018 Orange Bowl photo resurfaces
After the
two finalists for the WTA Finals were determined, a photo resurfaced on social
media showing Zheng Qinwen and Coco Gauff from the 2018 Orange Bowl Final,
where the American, then 14, defeated the 16-year-old Chinese player 6-1, 3-6,
6-4. This was Gauff's last junior event before starting her professional
career.
The Orange
Bowl is one of five junior tournaments the ITF has rated as “Grade A” and has
been held in Miami Beach since 1947. It is one of the most prestigious junior
tournaments, with champions who have gone on to become tennis legends and Grand
Slam champions, including Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Caroline Wozniacki,
Marion Bartoli, Dominic Thiem, and Anna Kournikova.
Zheng, the
2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist and current world No. 7, will have the chance
to compete for the title in her WTA Finals debut, while Gauff, in her third
appearance, surpassed her previous result when she was eliminated in the
semifinals by Jessica Pegula. Zheng and Gauff will face each other on Sunday
for their second professional meeting (the first was a victory for Gauff at the
Rome Open).
The story of Coco Gauff vs Zheng Qinwen:
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) November 8, 2024
From finalists at the 2018 Orange Bowl…
…to finalists at the 2024 WTA Finals! 🌟🌟 pic.twitter.com/WPcB5byRbV
Read also
Q&A Highlights from Belgrade Open
The stars
of the Belgrade Open participated in a round of Q&A as the tournament nears
its conclusion. One of the last tournaments of the season, the ATP 250 Serbian
Open, has already seen Denis Shapovalov secure his place as the first finalist,
while local wildcards Laslo Djere and Hamad Medjedovic are set to face off to
determine who will take on the Canadian.
In the days
leading up to the tournament, several stars answered an engaging Q&A with
the ATP. They were first asked about the highlight of their season. “Making the
fourth round at the US Open, being American. It was super special there,”
commented World No. 37 Brandon Nakashima. “Winning my first title in Chengdu,
in my home country,” shared rising star Shang Juncheng, currently ranked No.
50.
You can
check out the rest of the players' responses, where they also shared the places
around the world they’d like to play a match, their dream doubles partners, and
hidden talents. The video also featured stars like Stan Wawrinka and Tomas
Etcheverry, among others.
Read also
Moselle Open stars take on Ping Pong challenge
The players
at the Moselle Open gathered for a fun challenge, attempting to throw ping pong
balls into a series of cups. With the participation of Cam Norrie, Lorenzo
Sonego, and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, the stars tried to land as many balls as
possible.
The Moselle
Open has reached the semifinals, with the two finalists set to be decided on
Saturday. Local favorite Corentin Moutet will face Norrie in the first match,
while qualifier Benjamin Bonzi will go up against 8th seed Alex Michelsen, the
only seeded player remaining in the competition.
ATP Finals stars pick ultimate 5-a-side teams
The ATP
Finals stars picked their ideal 5-a-side squads for a football match. With
participation from Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and
Casper Ruud, the players created their dream teams, mainly featuring legends
from Real Madrid and Barcelona. Alcaraz selected a team with three Spanish
footballers: Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, and Andres Iniesta, as well as Real
Madrid legends Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Zverev,
like Alcaraz, picked Zidane and Ramos, and added the Germans Oliver Kahn
(goalkeeper) and Toni Kroos, though he hesitated on his choice for the striker.
“You got to go with either Messi or Ronaldo,” commented the world No. 2. “I’ll
be controversial, I’ll go with Ronaldo.” You can check out the rest of the
players’ picks in this video from ATP Tour in collaboration with the
football-focused site ‘433.’
WTA Finals players pick ther ideal ‘oasis’
The players
at the WTA Finals were asked, “What would you say your oasis is, your place you
go to find peace” in a new Q&A from Riyadh. In the video, players like
Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Zheng Qinwen, among others,
shared their favorite places to chill out and relax.
“Definitely
just spending time on the beach. No people, just water, sunbathing, and some
cocktails,” mentioned world No. 1 Sabalenka. “I would love to go to the beach
and read a book,” commented doubles world No. 1 Katerina Siniakova while
talking with her partner Taylor Townsend, while Zheng also opted for the beach
and the sea.
However,
others, like Coco Gauff, preferred simply being at home. “In Warsaw, in my bed,
like watching TV shows,” said Swiatek. “I just moved into my own house, so
probably my bedroom there… and it’s dark, and my phone is charged,” added the
American Gauff.
There's 3 types of players at the WTA Finals:
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) November 8, 2024
🏖️
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