Daily Dose of Social Media: Alcaraz meets ‘mini Sinner’, Tiafoe parties with Taylor Swift

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and Entertainment from ATP and WTA players.  The stars of the ATP Finals have shared some fun moments in Turin, and new videos on social media show Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev joking about the recent award the Italian received. At the same time, Carlos Alcaraz met a young fan nicknamed 'mini Sinner' for his resemblance to the world No. 1.

On the other hand, Frances Tiafoe had an interesting crossover by taking selfies with Taylor Swift during a Kansas City Chiefs party. Meanwhile, Leylah Fernandez shared a video reminiscing about some of her most important achievements in tennis.

Aryna Sabalenka and Katerina Siniakova celebrated their year-end No. 1 positions in singles and doubles on social media. The Belarusian reached the top of the singles ranking for the first time in her career after winning the Australian Open and the US Open, along with two WTA 1000 titles at the Cincinnati Open and the Wuhan Open. After two victories at the WTA Finals against Zheng Qinwen and Jasmine Paolini, Sabalenka was defeated by Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff, falling short in the semifinals.

On the other hand, Siniakova maintained her reign as the world’s top doubles player, finishing the year as No. 1 for the fourth time in her career, now only behind Martina Navratilova, who ended five years at No. 1 in doubles. This year, Siniakova won two Grand Slam titles at the French Open and Wimbledon, a gold medal in mixed doubles alongside Tomas Machac, and a total of five titles with different partners, including Storm Hunter, Coco Gauff, Taylor Townsend, Barbora Krejcikova, and Zhang Shuai.

“Year-end No. 1! 🏆 Wouldn’t be able to hold this beautiful trophy yet again without all of the support and love I received throughout the season. Thank you ❤️,” Sabalenka posted. “I’m so excited and happy to have this trophy again. I mean, the season was so tricky, so long. I had so many doubles partners, but I really enjoyed it,” Siniakova shared in a later WTA video.

Carlos Alcaraz met a young fan nicknamed the ‘mini Sinner.’ The kid had reddish hair, matching the color of the world No. 1’s outfit and the trademark look of the “Carota Boys,” fans of the two-time Grand Slam champion who regularly appear at the Italian’s matches dressed as carrots. “The Carota Boys… Sinner, huh?” joked the Spaniard. “He’s like Sinner,” added a smiling Alcaraz as they took a photo together.

The Spaniard faced a tough debut at the ATP Finals following a surprising loss to Casper Ruud. The Norwegian dominated the match, capitalizing on Alcaraz’s off day to secure the win and put himself in a strong position for a potential semifinal spot.

A surprising crossover appeared on social media recently with a selfie featuring Frances Tiafoe alongside Taylor Swift. The American is back in the U.S. after ending his season, and he and his girlfriend, Ayan Broomfield, were photographed at a party with Taylor Swift and members of the Kansas City Chiefs, including Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, who also shared some photos. Over recent years, especially with his strong performances at the US Open, ‘Big-Foe’ has become an American star, frequently meeting prominent figures from entertainment and sports.

Tiafoe didn’t have the best end to his season following the US Open, as he managed only three wins in his last eight matches since the start of the Asian Swing. After failing to qualify for the ATP Finals, he ended his season with a first-round loss to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the Paris Masters, closing the year ranked No. 18 in the world.

During the ATP Finals, Jannik Sinner jokingly interacted with Alexander Zverev after receiving the ‘Social Award’ for ‘Best Hair.’ “The award you won was ‘Best Hair,’” someone told Sinner while handing him a small trophy. “I have the best hair?” he asked.

At that moment, Alexander Zverev arrived, playfully reacting to his colleague’s award. “He has the best hair?! What the hell is this? I grew my hair for three years for this award, and you’re giving it to… oh, come on. I’m never going to win…”

“I’ll give it to you,” responded Sinner, handing over the small trophy, although the German returned it with a laugh. “I am surprised, I have no words. And now I’m not even happy anymore because Sascha took it.”

Sinner and Zverev were the top seeds at the start of the tournament, leading their respective groups. Both kicked off their campaigns with straight-set wins, with the Italian defeating Alex De Minaur on Sunday and ‘Sascha’ overcoming Russian Andrey Rublev on Monday.

Holger Rune is enjoying his vacation after ending his season due to not qualifying for the ATP Finals. The Dane had a strong performance at the Paris Masters, reaching the semifinals (where he lost to Zverev), but he needed to win the title, which he had claimed in 2022, to stay in contention for a spot in the tournament that brings together the season's top eight players.

The former world No. 4 is spending his days in the Maldives after a demanding season. In a video he shared on social media, he showed his downtime as he cycles around and keeps up with his gym routines in preparation for the 2025 season.

Former world No. 17 Christian Garin addresses mental health struggles affecting his ranking decline. The former Roland Garros junior champion Christian Garin has opened up about mental health issues that have contributed to his drop in the rankings. The Chilean won five titles between 2019 and 2021 and spent almost two years inside the top 20. However, injuries and mental health struggles have kept him from reaching his best level, and he now finds himself ranked No. 148 in the world.

"These last two years, I've been playing with a lot of pain in my body, along with other injuries that have kept me out of competition for several months," the former Rio Open champion wrote. "All of this has affected me emotionally; not being able to do what I love or even play at 50% of my capabilities has been very difficult, and it's drained all my mental energy and confidence, especially during this last year."

Leylah Fernandez shared memories of her early tennis days, her first professional title, and the US Open final against Emma Raducanu. The Canadian recalled anecdotes from some of the most important moments in her young career.

"We're going down memory lane. This is the junior 2019 French Open win," she mentioned while showing the trophy she received. "I remember at the end of the week, it was only my dad and I. He asked me, 'What do you want to do to celebrate your win?'

"I like to order a burger and watch a movie together. And that’s how we celebrated my victory," Leylah Fernandez said with a smile.

The 22-year-old finished the WTA season ranked No. 31 in the world, with her best results being a runner-up finish at the Eastbourne International (losing to Daria Kasatkina) and quarterfinals at the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open and Qatar Open.