Daily Dose of Social Media: Thunderous welcome for Djokovic at Euroleague, Gauff and Zheng’s Orange Bowl throwback photo

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.

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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.

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).

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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.

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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.’

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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.