The Davis
Cup continues to capture attention in the tennis world, while some stars take
days off before the Asian Swing. In our
Daily Dose of Social Media, we review
some of the highlights from the ATP and WTA, as well as the day’s
entertainment
moments.
Carlos Alcaraz delivered one of the points of the year in his Davis
Cup match against Tomas Machac. The world No. 3 led Spain to victory, while
Novak Djokovic trains in Belgrade for Friday's series.
Jannik
Sinner took advantage of his time off from competition to surprise some
children at a football training session, interacting with them and taking
photos. Additionally,
Victoria Azarenka showcased one of her great passions
outside the court in a WTA video: her love for horses.
Alcaraz
stuns with “point of the year” in Davis Cup comeback win over Machac
Carlos
Alcaraz delivered one of the points of the year in his
Davis Cup victory
against Tomas Machac. The 4-time Grand Slam champion led Spain's win in Group
B, in a series held in Valencia. The 21-year-old star came back from a set down
to win 6-7(3), 6-1, and retirement, after the Czech player suffered issues with
his left leg.
The world
No. 3 produced an extraordinary point during the second set when Machac was
serving at 40-40. After covering every corner of the court, Alcaraz finished
the point with a remarkable volley at the net.
Alcaraz’s
victory followed an earlier win by Roberto Bautista Agut over Jiri Lehecka in
straight sets, securing the series win for Spain. To close out the day, Alcaraz
will join Marcel Granollers to face Jakub Mensik and Adam Pavlasek in doubles.
Sinner
surprises young football players after claiming US Open title
Jannik
Sinner won his second Grand Slam title on Sunday by defeating Taylor Fritz in
the
US Open final. The world No. 1 skipped the Davis Cup and is taking a few
days of rest after an intense hardcourt swing. The Italian will return to
competition at the
China Open Masters 1000 starting on September 23rd.
A social
media user shared an exclusive clip showing Sinner surprising a group of kids
from a football team in Italy: “Today
Jannik Sinner surprised the kids at
training (including my nephew 🥹).”
The Italian
has frequently shown heartwarming gestures toward children. In the past, he
surprised at Indian Wells by holding an umbrella during a rain delay to cover a
ball kid. Another interesting video shows him having fun with Nicolas Jarry’s
son during the last Canadian Open.
After
winning the Australian Open title, the world No. 1 remarked: "I wish that
everyone could have my parents because they always let me choose whatever I
wanted to... I wish that this freedom is possible for as many young kids as
possible."
Azarenka
reveals love for horses: “The connection with the animal is the best part”
Victoria
Azarenka starred in a new WTA video where she showcased her love for horses.
The former world No. 1 revealed one of her hobbies outside the tennis court:
riding horses.
The
Belarusian has a horse named "Castle" and shared how this hobby
began: “I watched Yellowstone,” Azarenka said with a smile. “I was
trying to find lessons in Madrid and Rome, wasn’t very lucky, and then in
Paris, I found this town that is like a horse town, and I went for my first
riding lesson, and I thought it was very, very scary.”
“I felt
that the connection with the animal was the most amazing thing,” she added.
“And still, for me, riding is part of it, but the connection with the animal is
my absolute favourite part.”
Azarenka
also confessed that she can sometimes enjoy riding a horse more than playing on
tour: “I don’t play tennis for fun, I play to win, but I enjoy it. Competing
was fun at the beginning, and then it became a profession,” added the two-time
Australian Open champion. “And I’ve struggled with it, finding that fun again
several times in my career.”
Djokovic
joins Team Serbia training for Davis Cup showdown
Novak
Djokovic is already training with Team Serbia as he awaits the start of the
series against Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Greece. The world No. 4 was absent in the
last qualifiers series, where they were surprisingly eliminated by Slovakia,
missing the Finals.
Nole hasn’t
hidden his desire to win the Davis Cup again, as he did in 2010. However, they
must first win the series if they want to qualify for the 2025 Finals. The
team, led by Viktor Troicki, is seen as the favourite, and Djokovic will be
joined by Miomir Kecmanovic, Dusan Lajovic, and Hamad Medjedovic.
Djokovic
will play his first match since his third-round loss at the US Open to Alexei
Popyrin, and this will be his only stop before the Asian swing. A recent video
shows him training upon arrival in Belgrade.
Amanda
Anisimova shares training potos
Amanda
Anisimova shared photos of her arrival in Hong Kong as she trains for the Asian
swing. The American delivered a strong performance at the start of the
hardcourt swing, reaching the quarter-finals at the DC Open and then her first
WTA 1000 final at the Canadian Open.
She arrived
at the US Open as a potential dark horse, unseeded but with great confidence
and local support. However, she had a tough draw against 7th seed Zheng Qinwen
and was knocked out in the first round. Despite this, Anisimova seems to have
regained her form, having moved up nearly 400 spots this season and returned to
the top 50.
Her next
challenge is the WTA 500 Seoul Open, where she will have to start from the
qualifiers. The American shared photos from her training days in Seoul and
expressed her eagerness to get back to competition: “Can’t wait to get started
here ☺️🇰🇷☀️🍵”