Elina Svitolina reporting for flag bearer duty for Ukraine. 🇺🇦💙
Daily Dose of Social Media: Gauff shines as flag-bearer; red carpet glamour with Serena, Djokovic, and Osaka
Tennis NewsSaturday, 27 July 2024 at 12:35
Today in
our Daily Dose of Social Media, we summarise the latest posts from top WTA and
ATP Tour players, filled with entertainment as they prepare for their return to
Roland Garros. The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games has been the main
event for the top players, with Coco Gauff taking centre stage as the
flag-bearer for the USA, along with three other tennis players representing
their respective countries.
Additionally,
images from the red carpet event on Thursday night featured Serena Williams as
co-host, with Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic standing out among the guests.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz shared photos from their final
training sessions before their debut.Williams, Osaka y Djokovic dazzle on the
red carpet
Williams, Osaka y Djokovic dazzle on the red carpet
On the
night before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, various sports icons,
along with stars from music, film, fashion, and more, gathered to walk the red
carpet at the Fondation Louis Vuitton.
Serena
Williams was one of the highlights of the night as a co-host, alongside
Charlize Theron, Rosalia, and Omar Sy. Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka were
among the guests who attended the event. Other notable attendees included
LeBron James, Zendaya, Rosalía, Emma Chamberlain, and Natalia Vodianova.
Djokovic
also met Zendaya, the star of the recent tennis movie "Challengers."
The movie star later commented, "I was starstruck. He is super nice, a
legend. I watched a lot of tennis to prepare for my role in Challengers. I
watched him and tried to imitate him (laughs). I like his never-give-up
attitude, it's inspiring. I’m his fan."
Gauff leads top tennis players as flag-bearers
The opening
ceremony of the Olympic Games featured several tennis stars as flag-bearers. Four players led their countries' delegations,
including Coco Gauff (USA), Elina Svitolina (Ukraine), Nicolas Jarry (Chile),
and Danka Kovinic (Montenegro). Tanto Gauff como Jarry debutarán en sus
primeros Olympic Games.
In
Svitolina's case, she already knows what it means to win an Olympic medal after
defeating Elena Rybakina in the third-place match at Tokyo 2021. On the other
hand, Kovinic was in 2016 Rio, falling in the first round.. All will be
competing from Saturday, July 27, on the clay courts of Roland Garros. Here you
can find images of the flag-bearers during the parade along the River Seine in
Paris.
We are ready 🇲🇪❤️ #TeamMNE Opening ceremony
Alcaraz and Nadal's last training session before debut
Rafa Nadal
and Carlos Alcaraz had their final training session before making their debut
in Olympic doubles. The Spanish partnership will be in action on Saturday
afternoon at Philippe Chatrier. Both players also have their singles matches
scheduled for tomorrow. Alcaraz decided not to participate in the opening
ceremony, while Nadal was seen with his son at the beginning of the ceremony.
However,
there was time for one last training session before the debut. Alcaraz will
face Hady Habib (No. 275), while Nadal faces Marton Fucsovic (No. 83). In
doubles, they will take on the 6th-seeded Argentine pair of Andres Molteni and
Máximo Gonzalez. Here you can find the photos Nadal shared with Alcaraz at
Roland Garros.
Baby Rafa Nadal wrapped in the Spanish flag watching the Olympics Opening Ceremony. Absolutely iconic. 🥹 🇪🇸❤️
Chris Evert amused by humorous post on Nadal’s training suspension
Chris Evert
shared a post about the ‘reasons’ why Rafael Nadal suspended Thursday's
training. The humorously shared post amused the 18-time Grand Slam champion,
who shared it on X with laughing emojis.
"I've
been with Carlos for 3 days and I can't take it anymore. We have toured the
Village 7 times and this boy never gets tired! Today he wanted to go take pics
with badminton players and I told him to go alone, that I give up," read
the caption on “The New Gen” official account.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Nadal canceled his training today due to exhaustion "I've been with Carlos for 3 days and I can't take it anymore. We have toured the Village 7 times and this boy never gets tired! Today he wanted to go take pics with badminton players and I told him to go alone, that I give up"
Alex De Minaur and Daria Saville dance at Olympic send-off
The
opportunity to participate in the Olympic Games with their respective countries
has led to interesting moments for players who are usually rivals on the Tour.
One of those who has shown the most behind-the-scenes details of the Olympic
Village is Australian Daria Saville.
The former
world No. 45 shared on social media a video of the send-off that Team Australia
held before heading to the opening ceremony. In the fun moment, athletes from
various disciplines are seen dancing, including Alex De Minaur and Saville
herself.
Linette and Frech overcomes schedule hurdles to reach Olympics
The tight
schedule of the ATP and WTA nearly impacted two major contenders for their
participation in the Olympic Games. Just a day ago, Polish players Magda
Linette and Magdalena Frech reached the final of the WTA 250 Prague Open.
However, this complicated their timely arrival at Paris 2024.
“Hey, what
do you do when you have no friends with a private jet and the WTA postpones
your final match, so you have no chance to fly to Paris for the Olympics before
the air zone closes?” Linette had posted before the final.
Linette
ultimately secured the title with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory against her
compatriot. They quickly made their way to Paris, assuring Polish fans of their
participation in the competition. Team Poland had recently suffered the
unfortunate withdrawal of Hubert Hurkacz.
Jeśli anioły istnieją, to wszystkie na bank mają na imię Rafał. Dziękuję @RBrzoska - nasz life saver!
Dziękuję Wam za wsparcie, kibicom za MEGAdoping, trenerem za cierpliwość i sobie, że nigdy nie zwątpiłam💪 Nigdy w siebie nie wątpicie!
Medvedev’s amusing reaction to returning to Roland Garros
Former
world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev has always expressed his dislike for playing on
clay, especially at Roland Garros. The Russian player, participating in Paris
2024 as a neutral athlete, is once again obliged to return to the clay courts.
He will debut against Australian Rinky Hijikata (No. 76).
The French
Open is the Grand Slam where he has had the least success in his career, with a
poor record of 10-8 (56%), significantly lower than his performance in other
Slams, where he has a win rate of over 75%. Medvedev shared a humorous photo
while training at Roland Garros, commenting on his return: “My thoughts on
playing on the RG clay twice this year🤣🤣😉😉”
My thoughts on playing on the RG clay twice this year🤣🤣😉😉
Read also
Ruud’s euphoria steals the show at the opening ceremony
World No. 8
Casper Ruud couldn’t hide his joy during the opening ceremony of Paris 2024.
Ruud, 25, will be playing in his first Olympic Games and participated with Team
Norway in the parade along the Seine River. A video captured by the official
broadcast shows the player's euphoria, which he later shared on social media.
Ruud, the
6th seed in the draw, is seen as a strong contender for a medal for his
country, considering he is one of the best clay court players in recent years.
The Norwegian has already reached the final twice in Roland Garros.
Let’s gooo!!🇳🇴🇳🇴🥳🤙🙏 #Paris2024
Casper Ruud living his best life with Team Norway during the Olympics Opening Ceremony 😂 pic.x.com/qqrcF2Thd3
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