Daily Dose of Social Media: Kyrgios’ new jabs at Sinner and Swiatek, Raducanu nails 'guess the player'

Nick Kyrgios once again took aim at Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek while celebrating his return to the Tour. "You tested for steroids" and "I beat all of the greatest, no drugs either" were among the remarks you can find in a new Daily Dose of Social Media.

On another note, Emma Raducanu appeared in a fun video playing 'guess the player,' and Paula Badosa shared photos of her training sessions in Dubai as she prepares for a new season.

Nick Kyrgios slams Sinner and Swiatek amid return excitement

Nick Kyrgios is back in the spotlight, once again targeting Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek while expressing his excitement about his return. The Australian didn’t hold back, taking to social media to criticize his colleagues recently involved in doping cases. His remarks came after The Tennis Letter shared an interview excerpt where Sinner stated, “The people who knew me & watched me play knew there was something wrong with me.”

Kyrgios quickly fired back, commenting, “Yes. You tested for steroids. Very hard to talk to other people who aren’t.”

Later, a fan shared a clip of umpire Mohamed Lahyani speaking with Kyrgios during a match against Pierre-Hugues Herbert at the 2018 US Open, where Lahyani offered words of encouragement amidst Kyrgios' frustration. The fan captioned the post, “Mohamed Lahyani is absolutely a GOAT umpire, but I'll never forget when he randomly started giving Nick Kyrgios a pep talk, which ultimately led to Kyrgios turning a match around and winning it. 💀 Man talked Kyrgios of all players into giving a shit and didn’t even get a coach of the year nomination! 😂”

Kyrgios responded, “The fact that my opponent blamed the loss on this umpire who never got an ATP point is one of the best things to date. I just started trying 😭😂 I can assure you this isn’t the only match I’ve turned around lol.”

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Later, another user on X (formerly Twitter) suggested that Kyrgios’ criticisms of Sinner and Swiatek stem from his own “excuses” for not being more successful. The post read, “I remember this one journalist mentioning that Kyrgios doesn’t work hard on purpose cuz it’s his cope for being unsuccessful. It gives him & other lazy asses the excuse that 'if only we were motivated, we’d beat them all.' Now he has a new cope. He is a loser cuz he doesn’t dope.”

Kyrgios responded sharply: “I have an 8-figure career. Grand Slam finalist and beaten all of the greatest of all time. Doesn’t seem bad to me. No drugs either.” He seized the moment to take yet another jab at Sinner.

Raducanu nails 'guess the player': Federer and McEnroe among the stars

Emma Raducanu participated in a recent Sky Sports video segment called Guess the Player, where she identified ATP and WTA players from photos with their faces obscured. The British star showcased her knowledge of fellow players and legends, including John McEnroe and Roger Federer.

“This is one of the GOATs that I’ve said. Roger Federer, he resembles grace, class, elegance, timelessness—all of the above,” she remarked about the 20-time Grand Slam champion, who appeared in an iconic Wimbledon outfit.

The 2021 US Open champion is preparing for the 2025 season with aspirations of reclaiming her spot among the best in the world. She has recently added fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura, who has worked with Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka, to her team. Raducanu aims to leave injuries behind and climb back up the rankings.

Currently ranked World No. 58, Raducanu is training with coach Nick Cavaday during the off-season at the Lawn Tennis Association’s National Tennis Centre in London.

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Daily Dose of Social Media: Halep and Badosa training in Dubai as Alcaraz steals the show in New York

Preseason Heat: Badosa shares training snaps from Dubai

Paula Badosa shared photos from her training sessions in Dubai as she prepares for the upcoming season. The former World No. 2 is ready to embark on a new year on the WTA Tour after a remarkable 2024 comeback.

Having been sidelined for over six months due to a back injury, Badosa climbed the rankings impressively, moving from World No. 140 in May to finish the season at No. 12. The 2021 Indian Wells champion looked relaxed and cheerful in her latest posts, captioning them: "Preseason mode on 🔥☀️💪"

A day earlier, Badosa was seen training with an elite partner—former World No. 1 Simona Halep. Halep is working towards a successful return in 2025 after serving a 19-month suspension and struggling with injuries during her limited appearances in 2024. Interestingly, her first encounter this year was at the Miami Open, where she wasa defeated by Badosa in her comeback match.

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Daily Dose of Social Media: Alcaraz and Shelton courtside for Knicks’ win, Naomi Osaka shine as film producer

Stan Wawrinka gears up for his 23rd season

Stan Wawrinka shared photos of his off-season training with fans. Despite a year marked by the retirement of some of his greatest rivals, including Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, as well as the emotional farewell of Juan Martín del Potro, ‘Stan the Man’ continues his career and is gearing up for his 23rd season as a professional.

The 39-year-old Swiss recently broke a record previously held by Jimmy Connors, becoming the oldest player to win an ATP 500 match when he defeated Adrian Mannarino in three sets at the Basel Open. The 3-time Grand Slam champion has no plans to retire yet and aims to continue making his mark on the Tour, even as a veteran. Wawrinka ended the season ranked World No. 161 and is currently the oldest player active on the Tour. “Let’s keep pushing another off season 😁🏋🏻‍♀️👴🏻🏃🏻🏐🎾🙏🏻❤️ passion is energy ⚡️” he posted on his Instagram account.

Grigor Dimitrov reflects on a stellar 2024: “Trying to beat myself every day”

An ATP video highlighted some inspirational words from Grigor Dimitrov as he evaluated his season. The 33-year-old had a great 2024, returning to a Masters 1000 final at the Miami Open (losing to Jannik Sinner) and finishing the year in the top 10 after 6 years. When asked how he felt about the year, Dimitrov said, "Eight. I would love to finish with 9.5, I want to keep the 10 for the future years ahead."

He was then asked what he felt had improved the most throughout the season. "I think I’ve been able to be a bit more consistent with my regularity on the court with my game, and I think I’ve been able to navigate my body through very difficult moments on and off the court." "Motivation was to be better every single day, start from the beginning every single day, so I was very focused on that. Basically trying to beat myself every day," he added.

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