Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most important activities and Entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Paula Badosa poked fun at Stefanos Tsitsipas' tan lines while other stars shared their own amusing stories, including Emma Raducanu, Aryna Sabalenka, and Frances Tiafoe.
Additionally, Andy Murray's retirement continues to capture attention, along with the tributes on social media. We take a look at some of the messages and videos shared by tennis stars, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Emma Raducanu, and others.
A fun video from the DC Open features several stars who participated in a humorous interview where they were asked about their “Worst Tennis Tan Line.” Paula Badosa joked about her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas and the bandana he wears on his forehead: “I see it with Steff (Tsitsipas) every day. So at least I don’t have that bandana mark, you know? I make fun of him all the time, all the time, and fortunately, I don’t have it, so he cannot give that to me back,” the Spaniard said.
Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu commented: “Right now I don’t know if you can see I have wristband ones. They're not that – my sock, I’d say is pretty bad. But tan lines are part of the job. You can recognize a tennis player at the pool. Let's just say that.”
The video also features Aryna Sabalenka, Andrey Rublev, and Frances Tiafoe in a fun clip shared on social media.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek left a heartfelt message on social media after winning the bronze medal at the Olympic Games. Despite winning the match for third place, the Polish player's disappointment after losing in the semifinals to Zheng was one of the most talked-about topics in Olympic tennis.
The Pole began as the favorite thanks to her 4 titles at Roland Garros at just 23 years old. However, she couldn’t reach the final and had to settle for a bronze medal after defeating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. After bidding farewell to Paris, Swiatek shared a heartfelt message for her Polish fans.
“I will stick with the fact that although I did not fulfill my biggest dream, for today I did everything I could to play #Paris2024 as best as I could, on my own terms. Thank you for your support and understanding regardless of expectations. I will come back to the Olympics wiser.”
🥉 Zostanę z tym, że choć nie spełniłam największego marzenia, to na dziś zrobiłam wszystko co mogłam, żeby zagrać w #Paris2024 jak umiałam najlepiej, na własnych warunkach. Dziękuję Wam za wsparcie i zrozumienie niezależnie od oczekiwań. Wrócę na igrzyska mądrzejsza.🇵🇱🥲
Amidst Murray's retirement this Thursday at the Olympic Games, the tennis world paid tribute to one of the great players of the last two decades. The Brit had a remarkable career as the main challenger to break the Big-3's dominance for nearly 20 years.
With 3 Grand Slams titles, 14 Masters 1000, two Olympic gold medals, and numerous other titles, Sir Andy Murray earned the respect of the tennis world, especially from his great rivals Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. The three legendary players left emotional tribute videos to Murray following his retirement.
“Wimbledon champion, US Open champion, Davis Cup champion, Olympic champion, and many more things you have achieved. So many Masters 1000s, world No 1 – and a Sir,” Federer said. “You’ve been a true inspiration to me and many of the players out there, and I’m so happy you could do it as long as you did.”
"I am sad to do this video, honestly, because you are one of the most, you know, one of the players that the locker room love the most, for your character, for your charisma and for the way that you have always been with me,” Nadal said.
“We go back a very long time, I think we were 11 when we met the first time on the court,” Djokovic said. “We had incredible encounters, rivalries. We played finals of every single Grand Slam. You brought the Wimbledon title to Britain and to the UK after 77 years.”
In the midst of the European summer, several WTA stars shared their thoughts on the song of the season. Featuring Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa, and Daria Kasatkina, among others, they revealed their favorite summer tracks.
“My summer song is ‘You & Me’ – Flume remix,” Sabalenka said about the electronic track by the British duo Disclosure. “For me, the song of the summer is ‘Free Mind’,” Paula Badosa said. “I’m a very bad singer. This morning I tried to sing, and my team told me I have a horrible voice,” she added.
Additionally, Sloane Stephens and Daria Kasatkina chose songs by 25-year-old singer Sabrina Carpenter. In fact, ‘Dasha’ picked the same song that Daniil Medvedev previously mentioned as his summer favorite. You can find the video here with other WTA stars’ opinions.
British tennis players were not left behind in paying tribute to 2-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray. Players such as Emma Raducanu, Dan Evans, Jack Draper, Katie Boulter, Cam Norrie, and Gordon Reid highlighted the inspiration Murray has been in their careers.
The players reacted to significant moments in Murray's career: “I would have been twelve, thirteen at the time. I think this truly inspired me to want to be a player myself,” Jack Draper said about Murray’s first Wimbledon title. “It’s ridiculous, he needs to teach me how to play,” commented Boulter when watching a point from Murray against Raonic in the 2016 Wimbledon final.
“My favourite tennis player of all time has had so many memorable moments. I remember watching them live, whether in person or on TV. These are moments in tennis history that will endure forever,” said Gordon Reid, former world No. 1 in wheelchair singles and doubles.
Here you can find the video with the reactions of British tennis players to Murray’s best career moments.
World No. 7 Zheng Qinwen is the player to watch at Paris 2024. The 21-year-old arrived as one of the favorites, but few could have predicted she would be the one to defeat Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, dashing the tournament favorite's hopes for gold.
The Chinese player had a 0-6 record against Swiatek, including two matches on clay, but finally secured her first victory against the 5-time Grand Slam champion. Zheng is on a streak of 10 consecutive wins on clay, considering her title at the WTA 250 Palermo Open last week.
Zheng will start as the favorite in the final against Donna Vekic (No. 21), although the surprising run of the Croatian cannot be discounted. The ITF shared a unique photo of Zheng from 2012, showing her at just 9 years old competing in a local tournament in China.
