Daily Dose of Social Media: Alexander Zverev's bizarre bathroom run & Medvedev's courtside chill steal the show

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, Alexander Zverev stole the spotlight with a bizarre moment, interrupting his Halle Open quarterfinal match to run to the bathroom. The German ended up winning against Flavio Cobolli and secured a spot in the semifinals against Daniil Medvedev – who also had a peculiar moment when he took a 'beach break,' lying down during a changeover while facing Alex Michelsen.

Alexander Zverev created a surreal scene at the beginning of his ATP Halle quarterfinal match against Flavio Cobolli. The match was only a couple of games in, and before serving, the German made gestures of pain. He couldn't hold on any longer and, without any explanation, ran off to the bathroom, leaving the Italian player and the stunned crowd perplexed.

The World No. 3 returned a few minutes later, and the match resumed without major issues. "I felt good before the match, and all of a sudden, I felt terrible. I almost vomited, and 15 minutes later, I felt good again. I don't know what it was. Honestly, I've never experienced anything like that," he said. "I hope it gets better in the next few hours when the adrenaline wears off. After that, I think it was a really good match."

The German defeated Cobolli 6-4, 7-6(6) and returns to the Halle Open semifinals for the fifth time in his career. This time, the German will face a familiar rival: Russian Daniil Medvedev, with whom he has 19 previous encounters (Medvedev leads the head-to-head 12-7). However, this will be their first meeting on grass courts.

Ons Jabeur and Marketa Vondrousova had a friendly encounter ahead of their Berlin Ladies Open quarterfinal clash, showing that their rivalry stays on the court. This was their first WTA encounter since the Czech defeated Jabeur in the 2023 Wimbledon final, which marked the Tunisian's third Grand Slam final loss. Almost two years after their last match, the draw pitted them against each other in the quarterfinals of this WTA 500 tournament, a key Wimbledon warm-up.

Jabeur had initially lost in the second round of qualifying but then entered the tournament as a lucky loser, defeating Caroline Dolehide and Jasmine Paolini along the way. Vondrousova, on the other hand, surprised seventh seed Madison Keys before overcoming Diana Shnaider. The Czech is in impeccable form on the grass-swing and will face Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals.

Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, starred in a curious moment in his quarterfinal match at the Halle Open against Alex Michelsen. The Russian, who had already dispatched local player Daniel Altmaier (No. 52) and France's Quentin Halys (No. 48) in earlier rounds, extended his perfect run by winning again in straight sets. Not without first providing a rapidly viral moment: fully reclining on his bench during one of the second set's changeovers.

The Moscovite took advantage of a changeover to request medical attention. He then lay down horizontally and blocked the sun's rays with an umbrella held by one of the ball kids, mimicking a scene worthy of a beach vacation and generating widespread laughter on social media. After the comical moment, the 2021 US Open champion sealed the victory to reach the competition's final four for the second time, recalling he made it to the final in 2022. He now sets up a 20th encounter against home favorite Alexander Zverev (No. 3).

Tommy Paul appeared in a social media video enjoying some downtime far from the tennis courts. The American was spotted doing nothing less than cutting grass while riding a lawnmower on a farm. The World No. 8 showed his most relaxed side when he's off the courts.

The American tennis player has often spoken about his hobbies outside of tennis, which include fishing, water sports, and working on his mother's farm, driving a tractor and performing tasks far removed from what other sports superstars typically do. Paul, accustomed to a low profile, shared the video on his social media where he is seen calmly driving around the farm.