Daily Dose of Social Media: Alcaraz argues with umpire over time violation, Kalinskaya debuts new sponsor gear

In our Daily Dose of Social Media, we recap the latest updates from ATP and WTA stars on social media. Carlos Alcaraz had a heated argument with the umpire after receiving a warning for taking too much time on his serve. Meanwhile, Simona Halep shared a video of her training sessions less than a month before her return.

Anna Kalinskaya revealed her new sponsor while practicing with Coco Gauff. At the same time, her compatriots Daria Kasatkina, Mirra Andreeva, and Daniil Medvedev have been having some fun off the court during their participation in the China Open.

Carlos Alcaraz secures debut win in Beijing but receives a warning after protesting to the umpire. The world No. 3 began his campaign at the ATP 500 China Open with a straight-sets victory over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (6-4, 6-4).

The 4-time Grand Slam champion got involved in a heated argument with the umpire after receiving a time violation warning while serving. The Spaniard protested angrily: “I can’t play tennis like this. What is this?” Alcaraz exclaimed to the umpire. “What is this, a 100-meter sprint or what?”

The exchange continued after Alcaraz took the first set 6-4. “I’m always very fast, and I’ve never been given a warning. You gave me two warnings in one set. It’s impossible to play tennis like this,” added Carlitos Alcaraz.

Simona Halep reappears on social media as she continues her recovery from a knee injury that has largely kept her off the Tour since her reduced doping ban in 2022. The former world No. 1 has only played in two tournaments this season and hasn’t been on the court since July this year at the WTA 125 Paris.

Despite the long time without competing, the 33-year-old player continues to work hard for a strong return to the tour. In a video shared on social media, the Romanian can be seen working intensively in the gym as she continues her training sessions before making her comeback.

It was recently confirmed that Halep accepted a wildcard and will compete at the WTA 250 Hong Kong Open, starting on October 28. However, according to GSP Romania, her return could happen even earlier if she feels physically ready, as she has also been offered a wildcard for the WTA 500 Tokyo Open the week before.

A new training session for Anna Kalinskaya at the China Open revealed her new sponsor just hours before her debut match. The Russian tennis player spent the morning training with her colleague Coco Gauff, and for the first time, Kalinskaya was seen wearing Nike apparel. She previously wore Adidas and later partnered with Alo.

The 25-year-old player is following in the footsteps of her boyfriend, Jannik Sinner, who is also sponsored by Nike. A few months ago, Kalinskaya joined Naomi Osaka’s management agency, Evolve, a company that only represents three athletes and focuses exclusively on signing high-profile players like Osaka and Nick Kyrgios.

Daniil Medvedev had a fun moment with the ball kids during his participation in the China Open. The Russian secured a victory in his debut against the always challenging Gael Monfils and will now face fellow Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in his bid to reach the quarterfinals.

However, there’s also time for relaxation during the tournament. The tournament's social media shared a video of Medvedev attempting to perform ball kid duties while sharing laughs with the children assisting at the event: "I tried one time and I didn’t think it’s easy," he said at the beginning of the video. "Standing up is a problem," added the former World No. 1, "I’m also too tall, I wouldn’t like to receive a ball from me."

Ben Shelton stars in new "Down the T" video for ATP Tour social media. The World No. 17 is showing great form at the ATP 500 Tokyo Open, where he has already reached the quarterfinals after defeating Reilly Opelka and Mariano Navone. The 8th seed is the defending champion of the tournament and will face Arthur Fils for a spot in the semifinals.

The American answered several questions with influencer Sharky, the same ones some of his colleagues have faced, and had to choose a few of them for different situations. The young star was asked which of his colleagues he would call if he had an emergency: "I’d call Mackie McDonald, I think he’d come through for me," he said. "Frances Tiafoe would not answer the phone, he’s not answering."

Daria Kasatkina and Mirra Andreeva shared a fun moment after their practice at the China Open. Both Russian players regularly train together, and the teenager frequently appears in Kasatkina’s YouTube channel videos, "What the Vlog."

After their public training session, both approached fans to greet them and sign autographs while receiving some gifts from the local crowd, including caps, plush toys, and photos. One of the gifts for Kasatkina was two Pokémon toys, and as soon as she had the chance, Andreeva ran to ‘steal’ them from Dasha.

Later, Andreeva answered an interview from Kasatkina in which she shared her impressions of Beijing and Wuhan during her second time in the Asian Swing. You can find Andreeva's answers in the video below.

Players share how they cope with jetlag after traveling to the Asian Swing. The Tour’s top stars traveled to China and Japan ahead of the upcoming Shanghai Masters. Several top players recently spoke in a China Open video about the difficult jetlags they experience after traveling from tournaments in Europe and America to Asia.

Featuring Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, Grigor Dimitrov, Gael Monfils, and Flavio Cobolli, the most notable response came from Alcaraz, who wasn’t too affected by the time difference and later humorously responded to the Instagram post: “Hahahahaah surprised myself with my first night 😂”