Daily Dose of Social Media: Aryna Sabalenka jokes about forgotten Madrid speech, Alcaraz spotted at Serie A game

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, Carlos Alcaraz stole the spotlight by attending the Serie A football match between Lazio and Juventus, amidst his campaign at the Rome Open, after debuting with a victory against Dusan Lajovic.

On the other hand, Aryna Sabalenka provided a funny moment on Tennis Channel's cameras, after commenting on the topics she forgot to touch on in her trophy acceptance speech at the Madrid Open – her 9th WTA 1000 title – won a week ago.

A funny Tennis Channel video shows Aryna Sabalenka talking with her team after winning the Madrid Open title, mentioning all the things she wanted to say in her trophy acceptance speech but didn't remember at the time of the awards ceremony. The world No. 1 defeated Coco Gauff in the tournament final last Saturday but couldn't give all the thank yous she wanted to say.

In the video revealed by Tennis Channel, the Belarusian is seen doing post-match recovery work while on the elliptical in the gym, and in a recent interview from the Rome Open, the 3-time Grand Slam champion reacted to the video, mentioning those things she left out of her Madrid speech: “I wanted to say I was very happy to receive my early birthday gift from myself, and ‘Muchas Gracias Madrid’,” she said laughingly.

Emma Raducanu shared a series of photos from her days in Rome, where she visited some of the main tourist attractions of the Italian capital. The former world No. 1 debuted with a hard-fought victory against Australian Maya Jointy and then faced lucky loser Jil Teichmann, again emerging with a win – this time a more comfortable 6-2, 6-2 – placing her in the third round of the tournament. The former US Open champion will face Russian Veronika Kudermetova this Sunday in search of a place in the Round of 16.

In a post on her Instagram account, Raducanu shared some of the photos she captured both strolling through the city and inside the court at the Foro Italico, and even received responses from some of her colleagues, such as British No. 1 Katie Boulter and Romanian Gabriela Ruse. Raducanu is quietly continuing to climb the WTA ranking and is already at world No. 45 in the live ranking. Little by little, she is getting closer to the top 40, at a time of year when she is not defending points, considering that in 2024 she was out due to injury for a large part of the clay-court swing.

Iga Swiatek responded to a round of questions and answers with questions posed by fans, in which she mentioned whether she spies on her rivals before facing them, whether she would practice another sport, or whether she wished she wasn't famous. The 5-time Grand Slam champion opened up in a personal Q&A session, in which she valued the appreciation she receives from fans, even though there are times when she would like to go unnoticed when visiting her city.

The world No. 2 had a tough run at the Rome Open, after falling in the third round to Danielle Collins 1-6, 5-7, deepening her crisis of recent months on the Tour. The Pole is preparing for a drop in the ranking to world No. 4 – which could be No. 5 if Jasmine Paolini wins the title – and will be out of the top 2 for the first time since March 2022. Swiatek will arrive to defend her title at Roland Garros with a difficult present and doubtful level of play. Since the 2024 French Open, Swiatek has not reached a final, and with a defense of 2,000 points ahead in the tournament, not defending the title could cost her an eventual exit from the top 8.

A video circulating on social media shows Swiatek as she prepares for a serve and receives a ball from the ball kids, with her coach's message audible on the Rome Open microphones. Belgian Wim Fissette, who has previously worked with players like Victoria Azarenka and Naomi Osaka, emphasizes to Swiatek, "Play to win, that’s it, very simple," while a frustrated Swiatek is seen reacting to the level she was showing in the match against Collins. The American ended up taking a comfortable victory in straight sets, in what is only her second win in 9 matches between Swiatek and Collins.

Day Off for the King? Alcaraz Spotted at Lazio Game Amidst Rome Campaign

Carlos Alcaraz visited Lazio's recent match against Juventus in Serie A after deciding to take a day off amidst his participation in the Rome Open. The 4-time Grand Slam champion overcame his tournament debut against Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-3 and advanced to the third round in Rome, extending his good record on clay courts this season to 10-1, with his only loss being in the Barcelona Open final against Holger Rune.

This time, Alcaraz appears to be the big favorite for the title – after winning the crown at the Monte-Carlo Masters a couple of weeks ago – and will have to face another Serbian in the Round of 32: former world No. 27 Laslo Djere, against whom he has a favorable head-to-head record of 2-0. The Spaniard is not defending any points this week, as he was unable to play the Italian Open last year due to injury. This is only his second participation in the tournament (third round in 2023), and he is in search of his 7th Masters 1000 title and to arrive with confidence at his title defense at Roland Garros in a couple of weeks.

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