Daily Dose of Social Media: Empty stands at Davis Cup, Sabalenka and Sinner showcase their US Open trophies

With the end of the US Open, Davis Cup week begins, with players already gathering to represent their countries. In our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review some of the main activities of ATP and WTA stars, highlighting moments of Entertainment. Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner continue their celebrations following their US Open titles and showcased their trophies during a fun media day where they revisited their respective finals against Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz.

On the other hand, the start of the Davis Cup revealed empty stands in the match between Canada and Argentina, as criticism resurges over the current Davis Cup format, which features group stages held at a single location. Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek reflects on her early exit from the US Open, while Leylah Fernandez enjoys a dance break before the Asian swing.

The US Open champions and Aryna Sabalenka stayed in New York after claiming their titles at Flushing Meadows. As is tradition at the tournament, the champions took part in a press day, walked around New York displaying their trophies, answered interviews, and relived their final matches.

Belarusian Sabalenka claimed the title on Saturday against Jessica Pegula, marking her third Grand Slam title and second of the year. The 26-year-old shared a compilation of moments from the press day, smiling as she showcased her trophy throughout the day's events.

Additionally, they participated in a fun joint interview on the Today Show, where both champions joked around and reminisced about their victories at Arthur Ashe Stadium, which you can watch below.

With the start of the Davis Cup Finals, the first tie in Group D was played between Argentina and Canada. There were exciting matchups between Francisco Cerúndolo (No. 31) and former world No. 10 Denis Shapovalov (No. 100), followed by Sebastián Báez (No. 26) against Félix Auger-Aliassime (No. 21), both resulting in Canadian victories. In the doubles, specialists Máximo González and Andrés Molteni salvaged a win against Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil.

Group D, which also includes Great Britain and Finland, is being contested in Manchester, England. Users on X commented that the stands at Manchester Arena appeared nearly empty. Argentine journalist Danny Miche shared a video where he harshly criticized the current tournament format:

“This is what Piqué has done to the Davis Cup, this. Of course, there's always that little group of Argentinians supporting. But well, no Canadians… very few people. Clearly, who would be interested? What Englishman living here in Manchester is going to come watch Canada - Argentina?”

Iga Swiatek shared her favorite memories from her recent run at the US Open on Instagram. The world No. 1 suffered a painful quarterfinal loss to local favorite Jessica Pegula, 2-6, 4-6. The 2022 champion expressed her disappointment after the match, commenting that "It wasn’t a good performance for me."

A week after her elimination, Swiatek posted a compilation of her favorite moments during her stay at Flushing Meadows. Among the photos, there was a drawing from a fan, a book recommended by Beatriz Haddad Maia, and several shots of her time on the court.

"Not the result I wanted ofc but moving on now. I’m grateful for constant support from so many of you. See you again soon!" Swiatek captioned.

Leylah Fernandez shared a fun video dancing at a dance arcade game while enjoying some time off after her elimination from the US Open. The Canadian player was knocked out in the first round of both singles and doubles (with Yulia Putintseva) and hasn't played a match since late August.

The former US Open runner-up will spend most of the month out of competition, as her return is set for the WTA 1000 Beijing Open, where she will be the 26th seed. It will be her first tournament of the Asian swing. Fernandez traveled to Canada after playing the last Grand Slam of the year and shared a video having fun at a dance arcade: “Patiently waiting for my invitation to Dancing with the Stars 💃🕺🏼👀”

Taylor Townsend starred in a new episode of the limited series "What Moves You" on WTA's social media. This series of episodes highlights how players handle their mental health and personal challenges. This time, the American delved into managing her motherhood while being a Tour player and the difficulty of returning after a long absence.

“I did know that I was going to come back, that was a non-negotiable for me. I made the proclamation, I'm going to be better than I was when I left. I had no idea what I was saying when I said this, and what it meant, I didn't know how much work I was going to take and who I was going to have to become in order to make that statement hold true.”

“Managing the mental piece has been a really big struggle for me but I know that it's important because I know that what I'm doing now and what I'm showing him through my actions are going to be worth it later down the road,” Townsend said. “I think that's the cool part of being able to know that, I'm just not gone for no reason, I'm out here, I'm working and I hope that being a part of this wave can inspire women to know that your career is not over if you have a child or two. You can come back and you know it's possible to be better than you were when you left.”

Taylor Fritz had one of the best performances of his career by reaching his first Grand Slam final at the US Open. The World No. 7 was defeated by Jannik Sinner in straight sets after a tough battle and today shared a heartfelt reflection on his social media.

The American overcame players such as Matteo Berrettini, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, and Frances Tiafoe along the way, but fell just short of the title after losing to World No. 1 Sinner 3-6, 4-6, 5-7. Despite the disappointment, Fritz highlighted the positive aspects of his last two weeks and thanked the public for their support.

“These past two weeks have been insane, reaching my first US Open final was a huge moment for me and I’m motivated now more than ever to keep striving for more… Thank you for all the incredible love and support over the past 2 weeks it made it all even more special❤️❤️”