Daily Dose of Social Media: Medvedev hits racket in Six Kings Slam, Osaka celebrates 27th birthday

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and Entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Daniil Medvedev stole the spotlight of the day after repeatedly smashing his racket during the match against Jannik Sinner at the Six Kings Slam. On the other hand, Naomi Osaka, Ons Jabeur, and Emma Raducanu shared photo compilations of their recent days while being off the court.

Daniil Medvedev showed his frustration during the Six Kings Slam by smashing his racket, an unusual sight in exhibition matches. The Russian player lost to Jannik Sinner in a dominant 0-6, 3-6 match, which lasted just 69 minutes, as the Italian appeared to forget he was in an exhibition and displayed exceptional form against Medvedev.

It’s not the first time the 2021 US Open champion has vented his frustration on his racket, but it stands out especially in an exhibition setting. The loss doesn’t count towards the head-to-head record since it’s not an official ATP match. For now, their head-to-head remains at 7-7, although Sinner has won 7 of their last 8 encounters, three of which were in finals, including the Australian Open earlier this year.

Medvedev's frustration was evident from the early games of the match, as he repeatedly hit his racket on the court. Images of Medvedev smashing his racket quickly spread across social media.

Naomi Osaka celebrated her 27th birthday and thanked her fans for the well-wishes. The 4-time Grand Slam champion returned to the WTA Tour this season after a year and a half absence due to maternity leave. Osaka made an impressive comeback, achieving a 22-17 record this season and rising from world No. 833 to her current ranking of world No. 57.

The Japanese star last played in the China Open, where she secured three wins before reaching the round of 16, but withdrew from her match against eventual champion Coco Gauff while the score was 6-3, 4-6, just as the players were about to start the third set. Later on social media, she confirmed she experienced back pain and had considered not taking the court beforehand, though it does not appear to be serious.

Next week, she will compete in the WTA 500 Tokyo Open, where she has received a wild card, and the following week she will play the Hong Kong Open to conclude her season. Osaka has won four Grand Slam titles, including two Australian Opens and two US Opens. She also held the world No. 1 spot for a total of 25 weeks in 2019.

“27 🎀💕✨ grateful for another year and all the people I’ve met along the way. Thank you ❤️,” posted Osaka.

Emma Raducanu shared a photo compilation while enjoying some days off as she waits for her final tournament of the season. The former US Open champion will return to the court at the WTA 250 Hong Kong Open, starting on October 28.

In recent months, the Brit has found better results after a few years plagued by injuries that prevented her from finding consistency on the Tour. She reached the Round of 16 at Wimbledon and the quarterfinals at both the DC Open and Korea Open. Unfortunately for the former world No. 10, she was forced to retire from her match against Daria Kasatkina while trailing 1-6.

Ons Jabeur remains active as an activist in Egypt and participated in a new women’s empowerment program in Africa. The 3-time Grand Slam runner-up had an inconsistent season and dealt with several injuries that pushed her out of the top 10, currently ranked world No. 32.

Her last appearance was at the Canadian Open, where she lost to Naomi Osaka 3-6, 1-6. The Tunisian then withdrew from the Cincinnati Open and US Open and eventually decided to end her season to recover from a back injury, planning her return for the 2025 season. Photos of Jabeur as an ambassador for the World Food Program were shared on social media, showing Jabeur cooking alongside some African women.

"WFP Goodwill Ambassador @onsjabeur went on her first @worldfoodprogramme mission to Luxor, Egypt, where she visited Olfat, a participant in WFP’s SheCan programme. Through vocational training and loans, SheCan empowers women across Egypt to launch their own businesses and increase their incomes by 30-50%."

Olfat, who now runs a small baking business, shared her skills and passion with Ons as they baked traditional sun bread together. Food is not only essential but also a powerful way to create opportunities, uplift communities, and transform lives. #WorldFoodDay

Iga Swiatek gave an interesting interview with one of her sponsors, where she revealed her favourite career moment and mentioned some of her off-court skills. The 4-time Grand Slam champion highlighted her Olympic bronze medal as the achievement she’s most proud of in her career.

When asked about a secret skill off the court, Swiatek said: "Oh my god, I’m not ready for that. I can make great breakfast, but only breakfast." She also mentioned that if she weren’t a tennis player: "I would try to be a musician. I would probably play guitar," she commented.

You can watch the rest of the relaxed interview with the World No. 1, which she shared on her social media.

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur challenged each other in a ‘Battle of the Stats,’ where the Greek and Australian players tried to guess each other’s statistics throughout the 2024 season. The questions included the number of aces, first serve points won, and break points saved.

The video was recorded during the European Open in Antwerp, where they entered as the top two seeds. De Minaur has lived up to expectations and is already in the quarter-finals, where he will face Hugo Gaston. On Tsitsipas' side, he is waiting for his debut against Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild.

You can find the video of the challenge between the players at the following link: