Daily Dose of Social Media: Alcaraz and Sinner’s chopstick challenge, Gauff’s supportive gesture for Osaka

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the top activities and Entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Coco Gauff had a special gesture towards her colleague Naomi Osaka after the Japanese player retired due to a back injury.

On the other hand, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz led ATP and WTA stars in a fun ‘Chopstick Challenge’ video, where they showcased their skill in picking up various objects. Meanwhile, Holger Rune and Caroline Wozniacki opened up in a special interview.

Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff likely played the match of the day at the China Open, but it ended in unfortunate circumstances when the Japanese player retired. Osaka won the first set 6-3 and led with a break in the second set before Gauff came back from a 4-3 deficit to win the last three games.

Gauff and Osaka have often expressed their good relationship off the court and have praised each other over the years. Osaka’s retirement did not go unnoticed by Coco, who quickly approached to check on her opponent. As the 4-time Grand Slam champion was about to leave the court, Gauff offered to carry Osaka’s bag to the locker room, as the Japanese player appeared to be struggling with back problems.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner participated in the ‘Chopstick Challenge’ in a fun new video by Tennis TV alongside several of their ATP and WTA colleagues. Both players are preparing for the China Open final, which will be the 10th meeting of their growing rivalry, with the Spaniard leading 5-4.

They joined other stars such as Aryna Sabalenka, Grigor Dimitrov, and Zheng Qinwen. The players were tasked with placing various objects in a bowl using only chopsticks, as the difficulty increased with larger items, including a tennis ball that all the players struggled with. Check out the fun video here.

Danish stars Holger Rune and Caroline Wozniacki took part in a relaxed interview. The 21-year-old has often expressed his admiration for the former world No. 1, and there were expectations that they would team up for mixed doubles at the Olympic Games. However, Rune ultimately withdrew from Paris 2024 due to a wrist injury.

In a joint interview in Denmark, both athletes opened up about their journey to success in tennis, their training and mental preparation, the loneliness of traveling across the world, and even their breakfast preferences.

Wozniacki remarked that Rune grew up much faster than she did in the tennis world: “Because already from a young age, not only are you traveling around, across the world, across Europe to play against all the others, but you also have to learn how to navigate an airport, new city, hotel rooms, booking all those things,” she said. “But also, especially in tennis when you’re out there alone, you have to figure out how to win, how to get help from anyone.”

Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud took part in a promotional event for the Shanghai Masters just days before its start. The German is the second seed in the draw, only behind Jannik Sinner, and hopes to leave behind the health struggles that affected him during the recent Laver Cup. He will debut against Billy Harris or Mattia Bellucci in the second round.

As for the Norwegian, he’s been inconsistent over the past few months but remains in the top rankings and will be the 8th seed in the tournament, awaiting either Corentin Moutet or Aleksander Vukic in his debut. A video shared on social media shows both players at a promotional event for the tournament, where they participated in the 'champagne towers' and made a toast after serving hundreds of glasses at once, thanks to the pyramid-like arrangement of the glasses.

Arthur Fils became an ATP 500 champion for the second time in his career after defeating his compatriot Ugo Humbert in the final of the Japan Open. The 20-year-old player had perhaps the best week of his career with victories over players like Taylor Fritz (first seed), Ben Shelton (8th), and Holger Rune (6th), as well as former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini.

He is the second youngest champion of the tournament, and he couldn't hide his happiness after a tight match, where he had to overcome a championship point against him in the second set tie-break and eventually prevailed 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-3. One of the moments that caught attention after the match was Fils singing his favourite song in front of the TV cameras and signing autographs for the crowd.

Maria Sakkari explained her recovery process after matches depending on the surface she plays on. The Greek star acknowledged that her favourite surfaces are clay and hardcourt, but she feels most comfortable on hardcourt: “That’s where I had my best results,” she said.

When asked how her recovery process changes based on whether she plays on clay, hardcourt, or grass court, Sakkari noted that there isn't much difference regarding the surface itself, but rather according to the weather conditions: “Personally, it’s not so different the recovery after playing on different surfaces. I still have the same routines,” said the former world No. 5. “It really changes when it’s very hot or very cold, I would say,” she added.