Daily Dose of Social Media: Andy Murray praises Wawrinka’s fight, Alcaraz and Tsitsipas battle in hilarious dice-roll tie-break

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, Andy Murray praised Stan Wawrinka after his latest battle against Daniil Medvedev at the ABN AMRO Open. A video from the same tournament in Rotterdam shows the fun challenge between Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who faced off in a unique tie-break, aided by dice with rules to play each point.

On the other hand, the WTA stars had fun in Abu Dhabi visiting the iconic Louvre Museum in the Middle East, with the participation of Daria Kasatkina, Leylah Fernandez, and Belinda Bencic. Meanwhile, Nicolas Jarry reflected on his Instagram account about the controversial disqualification of his compatriot Cristian Garin in the Davis Cup.

Stars shine at Louvre Abu Dhabi: Kasatkina, Fernandez & Bencic explore iconic museum

Some of the biggest stars at the Abu Dhabi Open visited a special tennis court at the Universal Museum “Louvre Abu Dhabi,” featuring Daria Kasatkina, Leylah Fernandez, and Belinda Bencic. The WTA 500 event kicks off the Middle East swing for the Tour’s top-ranked players and began on Monday with its first-round matches. The tournament organizers shared images from the opening day, which saw half of the draw making their debut.

However, the biggest names are reserved for Tuesday, including Jelena Ostapenko vs Ons Jabeur, Emma Raducanu vs Marketa Vondrousova, and Belinda Bencic vs Rebecca Sramkova, among others. While waiting for their debut matches, Kasatkina, Fernandez, and Bencic visited the iconic historical museum in Abu Dhabi and were seen enjoying themselves ahead of the competition.

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Kasatkina and Rybakina hit the practice courts

Later, ‘Dasha’ Kasatkina shared a video training with Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, the tournament’s top seed. It was part of a short clip from her YouTube channel “What the Vlog,” where she and her girlfriend share weekly behind-the-scenes moments from their travels while Kasatkina competes. The series offers a closer look at players’ lives beyond the big stages, showing their daily routines during tournaments.

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"We won’t let anyone walk over us": Jarry speaks out after Chile’s controversial Davis Cup exit

Nicolas Jarry shared his thoughts following the controversy surrounding Chile’s Davis Cup tie against Belgium. The 2024 Rome Open finalist was part of the Chile vs Belgium tie but was sidelined due to illness on the first day. He returned for the doubles match on day two, teaming up with Tomas Barrios but losing to doubles specialists Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.

Shortly after, Cristian Garin faced Zizou Bergs in a match that ended in a controversial default for Garin, sending Belgium to the next round of the tournament’s qualifiers. Had Garin won, Jarry was a potential candidate to play against Alexander Blockx in the decisive match, as he had already shown good physical condition earlier that morning. The 29-year-old Chilean shared his thoughts on social media, expressing pride in representing his country once again alongside a series of photos from the event.

"We came to represent our country, and we will never let anyone walk over us 🇨🇱💪 Proud of this team's unity and all the effort we put in this week and always. ❤️”

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Alcaraz vs Tsitsipas with a twist! Tennis stars battle in hilarious dice-roll tie-break challenge

Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas participated in a fun social media challenge before the Rotterdam Open, engaging in a unique tie-break with special rules. The Spanish and Greek stars each rolled a dice to determine how they would play the point, with options like "Only backhand," "Only forehand," "Serve and volley," and "Wrong arm."

The unusual rules led to some hilarious rallies, with both players joking around during the tie-break. “The ATP Tour should play like this,” Tsitsipas laughed during the challenge. The Greek star has already debuted at the tournament, securing a comfortable win over Frenchman Harold Mayot (6-1, 7-5), and will face either Matteo Berrettini or Tallon Griekspoor in the second round. Meanwhile, Alcaraz, the tournament’s top seed, is set to make his debut on Tuesday against Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp.

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Andy Murray applauds Wawrinka’s courage after tough loss to Medvedev

Andy Murray took to social media to express his appreciation for Stan Wawrinka following the Swiss player’s intense battle against Daniil Medvedev at the Rotterdam Open. The former World No. 1, who retired in mid-2024 and is now Novak Djokovic’s coach, showed his respect for his former rival and praised him on social media after Wawrinka’s first-round loss to Medvedev (7-6[10-8], 4-6, 1-6) at the ABN AMRO Open.

At 39 years old, Wawrinka put up an impressive fight against the Russian, pushing him to the limit before Medvedev ultimately secured the victory. Former British No. 1 Andy Murray followed the action between his former colleagues and left a message of appreciation for Wawrinka’s courageous performance.

"Watching Stan the man @stanwawrinka battling with one of the best players in the world at nearly 40 years of age in first round in Rotterdam ❤️ what a player! #levels"

Murray and Wawrinka shared a close head-to-head record, with the Brit edging the rivalry 13-10. They were arguably the biggest challengers to the Big-3 over the last two decades, with each securing three Grand Slam titles.

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