Daily Dose of Social Media: Alcaraz shares his top Bad Bunny picks as Djokovic reunites with Murray

With the start of the first round of Indian Wells, the top stars are finalizing their preparations for their second-round debuts, as the top 32 seeds received a bye in the first two days. In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, we take a look at some of the day’s most notable moments.

Novak Djokovic joined Andy Murray once again for practice, with Nole already anticipating his return to the Center Court at Tennis Paradise. Meanwhile, several exciting pairings took part in the Eisenhower Cup, delivering entertaining moments, with Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina standing out as they claimed the tournament title. Additionally, Carlos Alcaraz revealed his favorite Bad Bunny song, while Aryna Sabalenka shared stunning photos from her training session.

Djokovic reunites with Murray ahead of Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic is already training for Indian Wells, and once again, he was seen with Andy Murray, just like at the past Australian Open, in a reunion in the USA. The Serbian announced his partnership with Murray at the end of last year, although Murray hasn’t accompanied Djokovic at all his tournaments. Nole attended Brisbane without a coach, and recently in Qatar, he had Fernando Verdasco as a temporary coach. Only at the Australian Open has Murray worked closely with the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

However, the exciting partnership was back training together in Tennis Paradise, as the 5-time Indian Wells champion Djokovic prepares for his return to the courts. The 5th seed awaits his opponent, who will emerge from the match between Nick Kyrgios and Botic Van de Zandschulp (Lucky Loser).

Djokovic also anticipated his Indian Wells participation with a video showcasing some of his best tournament memories. The 24-time Grand Slam champion claimed five titles between 2008 and 2016, but since his last title, he has only managed four wins and four losses, failing to surpass the Round of 16. The Serbian missed the tournament from 2021 to 2023 and returned to California last year, reaching the third round (losing to Luca Nardi).

Two types of players: Medvedev & Anisimova’s laid-back approach at Eisenhower Cup

Before the big stars make their debuts at Indian Wells, the main stadium hosted the traditional Eisenhower Cup exhibition, where mixed doubles pairs compete in one of the most iconic showcases of the year. Daniil Medvedev and Amanda Anisimova joined the lineup at the last minute after Paula Badosa withdrew due to injury, prompting her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas to also skip the event in her absence.

The former US Open champion and the American took it lightly. In a fun moment captured on social media, Madison Keys and Tommy Paul were seen warming up while waiting for their turn on the court, whereas Anisimova and Medvedev were casually wrapped in a blanket, with the former world No. 1 eating sushi before heading back onto the court.

The doubles stars also took part in a fun pre-match video, where each pair faced off in a rock-paper-scissors battle between ATP and WTA stars. Katie Boulter and Alex De Minaur, Ben Shelton and Emma Navarro, and Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz were among the duos who participated.

One detail that caught fans' attention in the comments was the peculiar way Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti played the game, making an unusual movement. In fact, Australian Daria Saville jokingly reacted to her Italian colleagues: “The Italian way tho,” she commented.

Fritz & Rybakina edge past Paul & Keys for Eisenhower Cup crown

Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina were crowned champions of the 2025 Eisenhower Cup after defeating the American duo of Tommy Paul and Madison Keys in the final, winning a super tie-break 10-4. The unprecedented pairing featured two former Indian Wells champions joining forces for the title.

"The strategy was just to take care of our serves. We’re both big servers, and before we started, I said that if we both serve well, I don’t know how we’re gonna lose," Fritz commented after claiming victory alongside the 2022 Wimbledon champion.

"It was really fun, and also, Taylor was giving me some advice on the return. Since the guys’ serves are so strong, it’s not easy to return, but I think we did great. Yeah, super happy," Rybakina added.

The duo also discussed the possibility of teaming up for mixed doubles in the future. Fritz admitted that he had already asked the Kazakh star about playing together in the last Grand Slam of the year. "I just asked if she wants to play mixed at the US Open, so hopefully she said yes."

"Hopefully, we’ll play," Rybakina responded.

Sabalenka shares training pics ahead of Indian Wells

The world No. 1 is arguably the biggest WTA star currently in Indian Wells. Aryna Sabalenka arrives as the top seed and the main favourite to claim her first WTA 1000 title of the season while preventing Iga Swiatek from defending her crown. The Belarusian shared several photos from her days leading up to the tournament, including images from her training sessions at Indian Wells.

Sabalenka will debut on Saturday against the winner of Anna Blinkova vs McCartney Kessler (Q) and will look to move past her rough Middle East Swing, where she managed just one victory and suffered two defeats in the first WTA 1000 events of the season at the Qatar Open and Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Sabalenka’s best result at Indian Wells so far came in 2023, when she reached the final but ultimately fell to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina.

Alcaraz reveals his favourite Bad Bunny song

Carlos Alcaraz recently revealed his favourite Bad Bunny song in a video by ATP Tour and Over Time Tennis. When asked which song he would like Bad Bunny to perform if they met in person, Alcaraz replied: "That’s tough, I’m between two. It’s gonna be from the new album—'Café con Ron' or 'Debí tirar más fotos’.” mentioned the 4-time Grand Slam champion.

The world No. 3 arrives in Indian Wells as the two-time defending champion and will aim for his third consecutive title at Tennis Paradise. Alcaraz will debut on Friday against the winner of Quentin Halys vs Pablo Carreño Busta (Q). The 21-year-old Spaniard is seeking his sixth Masters 1000 title at the tournament where he has achieved some of his best results, boasting a 16-2 record (89%).

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