Daily Dose of Social Media: Chris Evert astonished by 13-year-old Alcaraz & Zverev's controversial outburst

In our Daily Dose of Social Media, we recap the latest updates from ATP and WTA stars on social media. Alexander Zverev starred in the day's controversy after unleashing his fury against the umpire at the Hamburg Open. The German had a strong reaction following an officiating error that cost him a set against Hugo Gaston.

Meanwhile, a video of Carlos Alcaraz at 13 years old circulated on social media, and American legend Chris Evert was astonished by the young Spaniard's impressive skills at such a young age. Among WTA players, Barbora Krejcikova sought support from her fans on social media, while Aryna Sabalenka provided updates on her recovery progress.

Alexander Zverev (No. 4) starred in the day's major controversy during his Round of 16 match at the Hamburg Open. The German, the top seed and defending champion, faced Frenchman Hugo Gaston (No. 81) in their first encounter so far. Gaston was leading 5-4 in the first set with a break point in his favor when the controversial play that ignited Zverev's fury occurred.

After a long rally, the 2-time Grand Slam runner-up approached the net, and Gaston attempted a lob. However, Zverev reached the ball and hit a smash with his back to the net. Gaston couldn't reach it, and there was a double bounce, although the umpire didn't catch it. The point continued, and a few shots later, the Frenchman hit an excellent passing shot that was called valid, giving him the first set 6-4.

Zverev, who had noticed the double bounce from the start but continued playing the point, exploded in anger at the umpire: "It's impossible that I only bounced once, impossible!" the world No. 2 said. The umpire upheld his decision and awarded the set to Gaston. Ultimately, Zverev overcame the umpire's error and went on to win the match 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.

In the quarterfinals, he will face the 8th seed Zhang Zhizhen (No. 34). The Chinese player achieved the best victory of his career a few weeks ago by defeating world No. 5 Daniil Medvedev at the Halle Open. He has a 3-7 record against top-10 players, and this will be his first meeting with Zverev.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert shared a post featuring Carlos Alcaraz playing at just 13 years old in the Le Petit As, an international tournament for players aged 12-14 held annually in Tarbes, France.

The tournament is highly regarded in junior tennis, having produced several champions who have reached the elite level of the sport. Notable examples include Rafael Nadal, Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters, Michael Chang, Richard Gasquet, Jelena Ostapenko, and Bianca Andreescu.

A video shared on social media by Tiempo de Tenis caught the attention of Chris Evert, who shared the clip on Twitter, expressing her astonishment at the variety of shots Alcaraz displayed at such a young age: "This is incredible... only 13? With those shots? Really?" Evert wrote.

The recent Wimbledon champion called on her fans through social media to support the Lego Centre Court set idea. Krejcikova had previously expressed her passion for building Legos during her participation in SW19.

The Czech's words reached the company, which, after her title win, sent her a Lego replica of the Wimbledon Ladies' Trophy, the Venus Rosewater Dish. Now, there's a possibility of a set replicating the Centre Court of the All England Club.

The world No. 10 hopes the project comes to fruition and has asked her fans to vote on the official website: “I would really really love to build this. Will you help me by voting for it?” Krejcikova wrote on X.

“This court is the place where every tennis player in the world dreams to play, this is the place of passion, the place of sport. The set is made of 2827 pieces and it features both the recently added retractable roof (it enables play to continue during rain and into the night) and the iconic scoreboard,” the Lego website captioned.

Aryna Sabalenka provided updates on her recovery after a shoulder injury. The Belarusian held a Q&A session on her Instagram and shared good news with her fans.

When asked by a fan, “How is your recovery going?” the 2-time Grand Slam champion posted a photo of herself at the gym and responded: “It’s going very well!” she wrote. “My last ultrasound showed that my shoulder has healed, so I got to start playing tennis again this week,” Sabalenka detailed.

Sabalenka had to retire during her quarter-final match at the Berlin Ladies Open against Anna Kalinskaya, when she was trailing 1-5 in the first set. The pain in her shoulder prevented her from continuing the match, forcing her to withdraw from Wimbledon a week later. Sabalenka decided to skip the Olympic Games to avoid physical issues from quickly switching surfaces from grass to clay, and to prepare for the demanding hardcourt swing in the US.

Her next appearance will be at the WTA 500 Washington Open, which starts on July 29, where she will be the top seed, as it runs concurrently with the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Spanish player Paula Badosa has confirmed her participation in the WTA 500 Guadalajara Open Akron, which will take place from September 9 to 15, a week after the US Open. The world No. 65 was last in Mexico for the same tournament in 2022 but withdrew in her first-round match against Azarenka. She also competed in the 2021 WTA Finals, reaching the semifinals before losing to her compatriot Garbine Muguruza.

"Are you coming to the Guadalajara Open? We’re eager to see you," a fan asked Badosa during a Q&A session. "Yessss, I’m looking forward to seeing everyone there. I’ll see you all," responded the former world No. 2 alongside a Mexican flag.

"You’re the best, you’re coming to Mexico and of course, I’ll travel from my state to see you," wrote a fan in the Q&A, to which the Spaniard replied, "Mexico holds a very special place in my heart."

The tournament was held as a WTA 1000-level event for the past two years but was replaced in that category by the Wuhan Open, which is returning to the Tour. The current champion is Maria Sakkari, who has already confirmed her participation, alongside a star-studded draw featuring players like Bianca Andreescu, Zheng Qinwen, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Caroline Garcia, Danielle Collins, and Victoria Azarenka.