Daily Dose of Social Media: Bublik smashes racquet in frustration, Badosa opens up about mental health struggles

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the top activities and entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Alexander Bublik once again lost his temper and broke his racket in frustration against Flavio Cobolli. Paula Badosa starred in a new PTPA video where she opened up about her mental health struggles.

On another note, Roger Federer shared a compilation of photos from the recent Laver Cup, and Novak Djokovic is seen in intense training before traveling to Asia. Additionally, check out the compilation of iconic outfits from Serena Williams shared by the official Wimbledon account.

Alexander Bublik lost his temper and violently smashed his racquet during a defeat to Flavio Cobolli (6-4, 1-6, 6-7) at the China Open. The Kazakh player is going through a rough patch, having lost in the first round of four of his last five tournaments and securing only one win in his last eight matches.

In the first half of the year, he had a standout performance, winning a title in Montpellier, reaching the final at the ATP 500 Dubai, and making semifinals in Adelaide and Lyon, which helped him achieve his career-high ranking as world No. 17. Bublik is known for breaking his racquets during matches as a way to vent, and this time he smashed his racquet four times, leaving it shattered to pieces.

Celebrating 43 years of Serena Williams: A look back at her Iconic Wimbledon outfits

Serena Williams turns 43 this thursday September 26, just over two years since her retirement. The 23-time Grand Slam champion received tributes from the official accounts of various tournaments, with one of the most notable being from the official Wimbledon account, which compiled some of the most iconic outfits of the former world No. 1 at SW19.

During her career, Williams won 7 titles at Wimbledon, tying her with Steffi Graf for second place, only behind Martina Navratilova with 9 titles. The younger of the Williams sisters marked a turning point in women's tennis, and despite her retirement, she continues to receive accolades in the tennis world. Here, revisit some of her most iconic outfits at Wimbledon.

The opening ceremony of the China Open featured some of the tournament's top figures from both the ATP and WTA. Jannik Sinner took centre stage alongside local heroes Zheng Qinwen and Zhang Zhizhen, both Olympic medalists (Zheng won gold in women's singles and Zhang in mixed doubles with Wang Xinyu).

The three players participated in the opening ceremony on the Center Court, hitting several balls into the crowd. Carlos Alcaraz's coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, also joined the festivities to kick off the tournament.

Paula Badosa opens up about facing mental health challenges during her life in a new video from the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA). The Spanish player spent nearly six months off the courts due to a back injury, and her return was not easy in the first few months of the year. However, she has managed to regain her form and return to the top 20 after securing the title at the WTA 500 DC Open and reaching the semifinals at the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open, among other notable results.

“You can’t be at your best without strong mental fitness. 💪🧠 I’ve started using @apeaktennis’ daily reminders to make sure my training routine includes dedicated time for the mental side of the game and love how it’s becoming habit,” she posted.

In the video shared on social media, Badosa recalls the most difficult moments of her life, dealing with mental health, especially at a young age: “For me, facing anxiety, depression when I was at a very young age, I think it’s the toughest thing I’ve faced in my life. The other thing is that it made me stronger,” the former world No. 2 said. “And of course also maybe now coming back from an injury. It was my first time, like after a year out, coming back and I lost completely my confidence because you’re like starting over again."

Roger Federer shared a compilation of photos after being part of the 7th Laver Cup. The 20-time Grand Slam champion was one of the driving forces behind the tournament, inspired by the Ryder Cup in golf, which pits Team Europe against Team World.

Federer chose the Laver Cup as the stage for his retirement back in 2022, in a memorable doubles match alongside Rafael Nadal. Although he's no longer on the court, the Swiss legend continues to draw attention at the tournament he helped create in 2017. In a collection of memories from this latest edition, Federer shared photos with Ben Shelton, Carlos Alcaraz, and captains John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, who participated for the last time as captains and will be replaced in 2025 by Andre Agassi and Yannick Noah.

Novak Djokovic is back in action as he prepares for his participation in the Shanghai Masters. The Serbian returns to the tournament in China for the first time since 2019, as it wasn’t held between 2020 and 2022, and in 2023 he decided to take a break after a demanding season, focusing on the Paris Masters and ATP Finals.

However, Nole’s schedule has changed this year, and he returns to China, where he has won the title four times (2012, 2013, 2015, 2018) and holds a great record of 40-8 (83%) since his debut in 2006. In a video recently shared by a user on X, the 24-time Grand Slam champion is seen training, skipping a rope at high speed to the rhythm of a song.

annik Sinner overcame a tough start at the China Open after facing world No. 28 Nicolas Jarry, who came close to pulling off an upset by taking the first set. The Italian managed a comeback to secure the victory 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 and advance to the second round.

The world No. 1 began his campaign in Beijing on an emotional note, as it was his first match since the passing of his aunt, Margith Rauchegger, to whom he had dedicated the title at the US Open weeks earlier. Sinner dedicated his victory against Jarry to his aunt with a kiss to the sky and a silent celebration.