Daily dose of Social Media: Alcaraz & Djokovic played tennis sitting on camels

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz once again showed their good relationship off the court and shared fun moments at the players' party dinner, along with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov, playing tennis… on camels, in one of the moments we reviewed in a new Daily Dose of Social Media.

On the other hand, Karolina Muchova posted several photos on her Instagram account while Aryna Sabalenka was spotted training in Dubai ahead of her return to the courts after an early exit in Doha.

"Did you forget about me?" Boris Becker reacts after being omitted from ATP's youngest champions ranking

Boris Becker left a humorous message on social media after being omitted from a statistic about the youngest players to win an ATP title. This came after Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca claimed his first ATP trophy at the Argentina Open by defeating home favourite Francisco Cerúndolo.

On social media, Tennis TV shared a ranking of the youngest players to win an ATP title since 1990, featuring Lleyton Hewitt, Andrei Medvedev, Kei Nishikori, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, and Michael Chang. Fonseca has now joined this list at 18 years, 5 months, and 26 days old.

However, Becker was not included in the ranking. The German won his first ATP title at the Queen’s Club Championships at just 17 years and 7 months old, placing him second on the all-time youngest ATP Tour champions list, only behind Lleyton Hewitt, who claimed his first title at 16 years and 10 months. Nonetheless, Tennis TV only considered achievements from 1990 onwards, while Becker's triumph occurred in 1985.

“Did you forget about me ? … BB” he posted.

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Alcaraz joins Djokovic and Tsitsipas for camel-top tennis in Doha

Carlos Alcaraz is enjoying himself at the Qatar Open during the pre-tournament activities leading up to the Doha Open. The Spanish star posed with a falcon on media day and was seen wearing a traditional Qatari turban while holding his racket. The World No. 3 will be the top seed in the draw and is set to make his debut on Monday against former US Open champion Marin Cilic.

However, the most striking moment of the day in Doha was likely seeing Alcaraz join Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Grigor Dimitrov for a game of tennis while sitting atop local camels. They also posed for several photos together as part of the main favorites for the ATP 500 Doha title.

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Sabalenka training for Dubai debut

The WTA posted a video of current World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka training ahead of her first match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday, February 18. She will face the winner of tomorrow’s match between Yekaterina Alexandrova and Veronika Kudermetova.

Sabalenka also gave an interview regarding the recent doping case involving ATP World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. In March 2024, Sinner tested positive in two anti-doping tests for Clostebol, though the detected amount was minimal. It was determined that the substance entered his system through a massage performed by his physiotherapist, whom he immediately dismissed when the scandal broke.

On Saturday, it was announced that Sinner and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) reached an agreement, resulting in a three-month suspension. This means he will miss several key tournaments but will be eligible to compete in the next two Grand Slams.

Speaking to The National News, Sabalenka addressed the situation: “We’re starting to be more careful. For example, I used to leave my glass of water at a restaurant while going to the bathroom without concern, but now I don’t drink from the same glass.” She admitted that she has become more aware of potential risks and now fears the system, making it difficult to trust.

Watch the Belarusian star’s video below.

Muchova enjoys Dubai with a ‘flat white’ before cruising to victory

Czech tennis star Karolina Muchova shared a series of photos from her day in Dubai, captioning the post: “Flat white for me, you?”Today, the former French Open finalist secured a commanding victory at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, defeating Dutch player Suzan Lamens 6-2, 6-2. With this win, she sets up a second-round clash against Britain’s Emma Raducanu on Tuesday, February 18.

It’s worth noting that Muchova suffered an injury during the 2023 US Open, where she reached the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Coco Gauff. The injury sidelined her for nine months, and in February last year, she underwent successful surgery on her right wrist. Check out her post below.

Djokovic and Alcaraz share fun moment at Qatar Open dinner

Djokovic and Alcaraz once again showed their good relationship off the court by taking part in a fun activity at the player dinner in Doha, as both prepare for their debut at the Qatar Open. The Serbian rushed his recovery from an injury to return to the court in the Middle East, as part of his role as tennis ambassador in Qatar. Both players had fun at the dinner and participated in a playful music game.

Djokovic will debut on Tuesday against former world No. 6 Matteo Berrettini, while Alcaraz will face former US Open champion Marin Cilic.

Tennis stars test their knowledge of Argentine football legends

At the Argentina Open Tennis, players were tested on how many Argentine football legends they could name. Joao Fonseca, Lorenzo Musetti, and Holger Rune participated in the quiz. None of the three tennis players managed to name all 15 players they were asked about, although they all knew Lionel Messi.

Italian Lorenzo Musetti said he knew the younger players, but struggled with the older generations. On the other hand, the young Dane said that if he didn’t know Messi, he should be kicked out of the country, adding that he knew the most important ones, namely Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi.

Finally, Brazilian Joao Fonseca thought he would do worse, but managed to answer 5 questions correctly.

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