Daily Dose of Social Media: 'I’d pick Rafa Nadal' – Alcaraz’s fun Q&A with Sinner, Djokovic, Ruud, and more

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Rafael Nadal and more. In our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review some of the highlights from the ATP and WTA, as well as the day’s Entertainment moments. 

Alcaraz answered questions from some of his colleagues in a new ATP Tour video. Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud were among those who asked Alcaraz all sorts of questions, including the most important match point of his career, his golf dream team and the secret to his incredible dropshots.

Rafael Nadal was the guest of honor at an event in Spain for his latest public appearance. Elina Svitolina celebrated her birthday with a special invitation from the First Lady of Ukraine, while Zheng Qinwen is already training in Beijing two weeks ahead of the China Open.

Sinner and Djokovic quiz Alcaraz in fun ATP Tour video

Carlos Alcaraz answered a few questions from his fellow players in the latest social media video for the ATP Tour. With the participation of Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, and others, they asked questions to the 4-time Grand Slam champion about his incredible level of play, his training, and his most memorable moments.

"How can you perform your drop shots in this beautiful way?" asked World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

"In this beautiful way? I've been practicing the dropshot since I was seven, eight years old. So it's been so many hours on it, that’s why," Alcaraz responded with a smile.

Casper Ruud asked about his dream foursome in golf, who would be in it. Both players have shared time on the golf course several times, though Alcaraz didn’t choose his Norwegian colleague. "If I have to choose a tennis player, I would choose Rafa Nadal. So, sorry Casper," Alcaraz commented.

You can watch the rest of the video, where Daniil Medvedev, Grigor Dimitrov, Holger Rune, and Alex De Minaur join in with questions and answers for Alcaraz.

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Players have some questions for @carlosalcaraz 👀 @alexdeminaur knew what he was doing 😂

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Svitolina Marks 30th Birthday by Addressing Ukrainian Children's Deportation Crisis

Former world No. 3 Elina Svitolina enjoyed a special birthday after being invited by Ukraine's First Lady, Olena Zelenska, to discuss the issue of Ukrainian children’s deportation amid the ongoing war in her country.

Svitolina has been a vocal advocate regarding the war, actively supporting and visiting her homeland whenever she finds time. On her 30th birthday, she participated in an event organized by Zelenska, where she delivered one of the keynote speeches of the day.

The 2021 Olympic bronze medalist expressed her gratitude on social media for the invitation to such a meaningful event: “I am deeply grateful to First Lady @olenazelenska_official for the invitation and the opportunity to address the crucial problems of the deportation of Ukrainian children,” Svitolina wrote on her Instagram account.

“As a Ukrainian professional athlete, I wish I could tell you about our sporting achievements, future plans, and how we want to develop and promote sports in Ukraine. But today I am not in a position to talk about it. The great tragedy makes all this impossible because without children, there is no future. No plan would work, and no dream would come true...”

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Birthday girl @ElinaSvitolina ✨ Enjoy your day 💛🎂🎈🎈🎈

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Local hero Zheng Qinwen begins training for China Open

New photos on social media show Zheng Qinwen already training in Beijing for the upcoming WTA 1000 China Open. The local player will make her debut between September 27 and 28 and will be the 7th seed. Zheng was welcomed as a hero upon her arrival in China, after winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games against Donna Vekic.

Her last appearance was at the US Open, where she reached the quarterfinals but was defeated by eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka. The 21-year-old will be the local hope for a tournament that has never seen a Chinese player in the final. Former Australian Open champion Li Na had the best local performances, reaching the semifinals in 2010 and 2012.

The tournament will be crucial for Zheng’s goal of finishing the year in the top 10, while she competes for a spot in the WTA Finals. In the Race, she is currently in 9th place and needs to reach at least 7th, considering that the 8th qualifier will be Barbora Krejcikova as the Wimbledon champion. Zheng is just under 500 points behind Emma Navarro.

Hola Fujian

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🎾After completing her journey at the US Open, Zheng Qinwen, currently ranked 7th in the world, returned to Beijing to fully focus on preparing for the Chinese tennis season. Her campaign will begin at the China Open. The 2024 China Open women's singles main draw kicks off on…

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Bobby-Tennis

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zhengqinwen China Open🎾

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Sinner and Kalinskaya enjoy New York night

New photos of Jannik Sinner and Anna Kalinskaya have emerged in New York after the Italian secured his second Grand Slam title at the US Open. The world No. 1 is rarely seen publicly with his girlfriend Kalinskaya, but social media has shared images of the couple enjoying a night out in New York.

Kalinskaya will face her next challenge at the WTA 1000 Beijing Open, where she will be the 14th seed, while her boyfriend Sinner will also make his return in Beijing, with both the men's and women's draws taking place simultaneously. The men's tournament is an ATP 500, featuring an impressive entry list with five players in the top 6 (six in the top 10).

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📍New York 🦊😉

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Nadal Makes appearance for building launch after Laver Cup withdrawal

Rafael Nadal made a return to Spain for the launch of a new "Movistar" building. The former world No. 1 was the guest of honour at the event for one of his main sponsors. Also present was Carolina Marin, the renowned Spanish badminton player, gold medalist at the Olympic Games, and three-time World Champion.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion recently announced his withdrawal from the Laver Cup, which will take place next week. Nadal acknowledged that he does not feel physically well enough and will be replaced by Grigor Dimitrov.

Fritz picks his wingman and reveals locker room banter in ATP Q&A

Taylor Fritz selects his wingman in ATP Tour Questions and Answers. The American No. 1 recently reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open but fell in straight sets to an unstoppable Jannik Sinner.

Despite this, Fritz can draw positive conclusions from his time at Flushing Meadows, having achieved his highest ranking of the season as world No. 7 and positioning himself comfortably in the ATP Race for a potential spot in the ATP Finals.

In a fun video, Fritz chose the biggest trash talkers: “Not a lot of people. In the locker room, I feel like me, Ben (Shelton), and Frances (Tiafoe). We’re like, give it to each other. It’s playful though, you know,” said the 26-year-old. Check out the rest of Taylor Fritz's Q&A session.