Today in our
Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and
entertainment from ATP and WTA players. As the Davis Cup week draws to a close,
Carlos Alcaraz attended a wedding after securing Spain's qualification, while
Novak Djokovic was seen dancing during Serbia's matches against Greece.
Meanwhile,
Emma Raducanu has started training in Seoul for the Korea Open, sharing moments with fans during her practice session.
Simona Halep made an appearance at a WTA tournament, and Del Potro humorously joked about "screwing up" Federer. Find out everything happening on social media.
Raducanu
trains in Seoul ahead of WTA 500 Korea Open
Emma
Raducanu already training in Seoul for the upcoming WTA 500 Korea Open. The
former US Open champion spent the day with several fans after her practice
session, and several videos of the Brit hitting and practising her serve were
shared on social media.
Raducanu
(No. 70) will face a tough first-round match against American Peyton Stearns
(No. 49). The Brit had initially received a wildcard from the organisers but,
after several withdrawals, she was able to enter the draw directly. The
tournament saw last-minute withdrawals from Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina,
Jessica Pegula, Karolina Pliskova, and Emma Navarro..
Djokovic’s
TikTok dance steals the spotlight
Novak
Djokovic shared a fun video on his TikTok account before stepping onto the
court for the Davis Cup. The 24-time Grand Slam champion returned to his first
tournament after a disappointing third-round exit at the US Open and secured a
dominant victory, aiming to help Serbia reach the qualifying round.
The former
world No. 1 dropped just one game in 45 minutes against Greek player Ioannis
Xilas (No. 770). Earlier, Miomir Kecmanovic had given Serbia the lead with a
6-3, 6-3 win over Aristotelis Thanos. While Kecmanovic was playing his match,
Djokovic was doing his pre-match routine and was seen joking around with Team
Serbia, showing off some dance moves on a treadmill.
Badosa
trains with rising Brazilian star ahead of China Open
Paula
Badosa shared a training session with a rising Brazilian junior star.
The former world No. 2 is preparing for the Asian Swing, and her next
tournament will be the WTA 1000 China Open, which will take place in Beijing
starting on September 26. Badosa’s strong performances in recent months have
propelled her back into the top 20 after reaching the quarterfinals of the US
Open.
Badosa
spent the day training with 14-year-old junior player Victoria Luiza Barros.
The young Brazilian shared photos on Instagram with the Spanish star,
expressing her gratitude for the opportunity to train together, which was
reposted by the former Indian Wells champion:
“Thx for the opportunity to share the court with u❤️ @paulabadosa I will remember every word and every moment on court with
u, means a lot to me 🥹 VAMOSSSS💪”
Simona
Halep attends WTA tournament this weekend
Simona
Halep was a special guest at the WTA 125 Tiriac Foundation Trophy. The
tournament, held in Bucharest, Romania, reached the semifinals this Saturday
with the presence of the former world No. 1. Halep will also attend the award
ceremony on Sunday, where local player Miriam Bulgaru will face Kathinka von
Deichmann from Liechtenstein.
The 2-time
Grand Slam champion has already set a date for her return, following the
confirmation of her participation in the upcoming WTA 250 Hong Kong Open, which
will take place at the end of October. A knee injury has kept Halep off the
courts since May: "It's hard to say now because I'm still recovering with
my knee, I plan to go play a tournament in Hong Kong at the end of October,”
she said
The
tournament’s official accounts shared images of Halep at the WTA 125 Tiriac:
“So happy to have @simonahalep cheering for our players during this finals
weekend! 🎾 Simona will also join us on Sunday, during the
game and trophy presentation. 🏆💜 Looking
forward to seeing you all there!”
Alcaraz
attends wedding after impressive Davis Cup performances
Carlos
Alcaraz attended a wedding after his Davis Cup victory. The first two series of
the Group Stage were key wins for Spain, securing their qualification for the
Davis Cup Finals, among the top 8 teams in the tournament.
The 4-time
Grand Slam champion made his first appearance since the US Open in the matches
against the Czech Republic and France. He won both singles matches and played
in the doubles against the Czechs (alongside Marcel Granollers), also securing
a crucial victory.
After two
series, captain David Ferrer decided to give Alcaraz a break for the final
group stage match against Australia. The world No. 3 took advantage of this
Saturday to attend his close friend Fran Rubio's wedding, with some photos of
Alcaraz shared on social media.
"Here,
I screwed Federer": Del Potro jokes with Ginobili at US Open champions’
wall
A funny
video of
Juan Martin Del Potro alongside former basketball player Manu
Ginobili, a legendary San Antonio Spurs player and Argentine sports icon,
circulated on social media. The former US Open champion was showing his
compatriot the champions' wall at Flushing Meadows, where the names of all the
tournament's champions are written.
Without the
athletes noticing, a camera captured Del Potro pointing out the five
consecutive titles won by
Roger Federer from 2004 to 2008. In 2009, Del Potro
was the one to end that streak, winning his only Grand Slam title, which the
former world No. 3 hilariously recalled: "Federer, Federer, Federer,
Federer, Federer... and here, I screwed him," he commented to Ginobili.
Davis Cup Break: Auger-Aliassime Cheers on Manchester City
Felix
Auger-Aliassime switched sports for a day during the Davis Cup. The World No.
21 led Canada to victories in their ties against Finland and Argentina and they
are close to qualifying for the Finals in Malaga at the end of the year.
In the
final tie, they will face the home team, Great Britain, with Denis Shapovalov
set to play against Dan Evans and Auger-Aliassime against Jack Draper. The
British team needs to secure three wins (including doubles) to qualify, while
the Canadians only need to win one of the three matches on the final day.
With a day
off for Canada in the middle of the group stage, Auger-Aliassime shared photos
from his visit to the Etihad Stadium, where he watched Manchester City defeat
Brentford. The former World No. 5 also played with a football during tennis
practice.